The Monster and the Beauty
by ZombiePanda1999
Summary: Things change when the monster meets the beauty. Ellie may think she has a normal life but that all changes when she meets...him. Can the beauty fall in love with the beast.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Loki was angry yet again. He followed his brother down the street. Why was it, no matter where Thor went, he always found happiness? Here he was on earth and found a woman he so obviously loved. Loki stayed in the shadows to avoid being noticed. He had already went to Thor and lied to him that their father was dead. Yet Thor came to terms with his banishment to earth and found a place to stay with Jane. Thor had stepped out of the diner where he handed some woman a mug and was making his way back up the street to the place Jane used as a lab. He seemed happy and this made Loki furious. He could feel the tension in his muscles and it took all of his dwindling will to not attack Thor right there in the street.

Loki was hidden around a corner when Thor made his way into Jane's lab. With balled up fists and a rage to match Loki spun around before he could do anything rash and ran right into something that knocked the wind right out of his sails. She hit the ground hard and dropped all of her things. The girl cursed under her breath and started to gather up her books. Loki just stood over her and said nothing.

"Well?" she said.

Loki remained silent.

"No apology?"

Still nothing.

"Thanks for nothing," she said as she stood.

The girl looked up at Loki to give him a piece of her mind and was left speechless when she looked up into his face. Her chest constricted and she felt like she could not breathe. Tall. Very tall. Long black hair and light colored eyes. Not quite blue and not quite gray. Strong facial features. She was left a little unnerved by the intense look in his face.

When her eyes met his, he was undone. The tension left his muscles and the anger dissipated. She was small. Long blond hair and beautiful blue eyes. Not what he was used to. The women of Asgard were tall and athletic. This woman was petite in comparison.

He must have stood there with a dumb look on his face because she stepped back and looked a little confused herself. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it just as quickly. Without another word, she stepped around him and continued on her way.

Loki watched the girl as she walked across the street towards the diner. He could not take his eyes off of her. His mind was muddled from the encounter. When she stepped up onto the other curb and peeked over her shoulder in his direction Loki felt a shift in his chest. He put a hand up to his heart and a small smile played across his lips. The girl was confused but excited by the look on the man's face and hurried into the diner.

"Good morning Ellie." Izzy said as she walked in.

"Morning."

"What's the matter dear?"

"Some guy just bumped into me and knocked me down. Didn't help me up or even apologize. He didn't even say a word. Just looked at me with this weird look on his face." Ellie said.

"Was he from around here?"

"No. I've never seen him before. "

"Don't worry about it dear. Set up your books and I'll bring your coffee and muffin right on over."

"Thanks Izzy. I love that you know what I want."

"It never changes dear. Every time you come home from school, you sit in the same booth, order the same thing and study your science books."

Ellie didn't know why but every few minutes she would find herself looking out the window.

"Was he cute?"

"What?"

"Was he hot? The guy that ran into you."

"Now why on earth would you ask that?" Ellie asked a little flustered.

"Cuz ya keep lookin out that window every few minutes like you're gonna see him again. So, was he handsome?"

"Actually he was very good looking." She said with a blush. "But rude."

"Hey, no guy is perfect. Believe me. I have known my fair share." Izzy said with a wink and walked away.

The hours passed as she studied her books. The sun went down and everyone headed to their comfortable little homes. Ellie put off going home as long as she could. She didn't like home. It was a constant reminder of her depressing life. Ellie's mother died when she was nine years old and was left with her father. There was no other family left. At least none that she was aware of. Bill was a heavy drinker and Ellie was left to fend for herself at a very young age. She got into trouble with her friends growing up and this would lead to fights and abuse by her father. Ellie was afraid to say anything to anyone because her father would threaten her and she was too proud to go into the foster system.

So she grew up in fear and loathing of her father. After an incident with the police, Ellie realized that she needed to get out. School became the priority. Getting good grades came easily when she applied herself and she quickly realized that she could qualify for some scholarships that would get her the hell out of this town. Unfortunately summers came and Bill's home was the only place for her to go.

"It's time to close up dear." Izzy said. "Would you like a ride home?"

"No thanks. I really like to walk."

Ellie gathered her things and walked out the diner door. The streets in either direction were empty. So why did she feel that she was not alone. The lights went off behind her so she made her way down the street.

Loki watched her from the shadows across the street. Her petite form passed in and out of the light as she walked down the sidewalk. He questioned why he came back. This girl was but a little human. Than why did he feel so drawn to her? Thor was the only one he wanted to check up on but he found himself seeking this girl out. The girl was right where he had left her. In the diner all day long. Why?

The girl rounded a corner so he moved out of the alley to follow her. She walked with her head down and seemed deep in thought and didn't notice the car coming down the street rather quickly. When it got close, the driver slammed on the brakes and squealed to a stop right next to her. The girl practically jumped right out of her skin.

"Ellie! Girl! Where the hell have you been?! Shit!" the guy said as he hopped out of the car.

So her name was Ellie. Loki thought. Well now he could put a name to the beautiful face. He paused. He found this human woman beautiful?

"Oh! Hey Cody." She said tentatively.

"Where you been?" he asked again as he ran up to her and grabbed her in a huge bear hug.

Loki noticed Ellie seemed apprehensive when the man got close. His muscles tensed. Loki wondered why he cared.

"I've been away at college." She replied quietly.

"What the hell are you doing that for?" Cody said with some disgust.

"I like college. Well…" she paused. "I have to get home now. Goodnight." Ellie said as she started to walk away.

"Awww. Come out with me tonight. I'm headin up to The Pit."

"No thanks. I have to get home."

"You gotta come! Some of your old pals are up there. They would get a kick outa seeing ya." Cody said as he stepped closer to Ellie.

She backed away and held her books tighter to her chest. Loki moved closer but still stayed hidden in the shadows.

"I can't. Got a lot of studying to do." Tapping her books for emphasis.

"Come on. Just get in the car." Cody said starting to sound a little annoyed.

"Some other time maybe." Ellie said and turned to walk away.

Cody grabbed Ellie's arm and turned her back to face him. "It will be just like old times."

"Let me go Cody. I don't want to go." She said trying to pull her arm away.

"What you don't want to have a repeat of the last time? We had some real good fun!"

Then Ellie really tried to pull away but Cody would not let go. She dropped her books and tried to push Cody away. He just laughed, grabbed her and pulled her into his arms like she weighed nothing at all.

"What's the matter Ellie? You sure seemed to enjoy it that night." Cody growled in her ear as his hands began to rove over her body.

Ellie struggled with all her might but she was obviously no match for this man. Loki saw this man with his hands all over her and instantly felt rage. Before he even realized he was doing it, he stepped out of the shadows.

"Let her go!"

Cody turned to see who the hell was coming to interfere and froze when he saw Loki. Ellie could just barely peer over Cody's shoulder to see her rescuer. The look of surprise passed over her face when she realized who it was.

"This is none of your damn business. So I suggest that you just move along bud." Cody said with a sneer.

"She obviously does not want to go with you. So I suggest that you leave the lady alone." Loki said with more calm than he felt. It took all of his will to hold his power in check.

Ellie was dumbfounded by this stranger who was so rude to her this morning and was now coming to her rescue. Who was he? Realizing that Cody was still holding her tightly in his arms, she began to struggle again.

"Fuck off asshole!" Cody said and turned to push Ellie towards the car.

Loki felt his magic build up inside him but he pushed it down and walked right up to Cody, grabbed his arms off of Ellie like he wasn't holding her at all. With Ellie free from the man's grip he gently guided her behind him. Cody followed Ellie with his eyes and without a moments hesitation brought his arm back and punched Loki in the face.

Loki barely felt a thing. His head didn't even turn in the slightest. A small smirk started to cross his face as he peered down at Cody who wailed in pain because of his broken hand. Loki took a slight step forward and Cody ran to his car, jumped in and after fumbling for a few seconds, got the car in gear and peeled out.

Ellie just stood there not knowing what to do. She just watched an old asshole friend punch her rescuer in the face and break his hand. This guy didn't even grab his jaw like it hurt.

Loki watched till the car was out of sight and then turned to her and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yes." She said timidly. "Thank you for helping me. He would have never let me go."

Loki nodded and then just looked down at her. They stood there in an awkward silence for a moment just looking at each other and then Ellie had to look away. Ellie opened her mouth a few times to say something but would come up with nothing.

Loki, who was never usually at a loss for words, could not think of a single intelligent thing to say to this petite little human.

"Well I guess I should be getting home. Thank you again for your help." Ellie started to grab her books off the ground and this time Loki bent to help her.

Ellie looked up to say thank you and came into direct contact with his eyes. The wind was knocked right out of her. She quickly looked away. His gaze was intense. There was so much emotion in his eyes but she could not make out which was the dominant one. Not knowing what to do now, she stood and took the pile of books he offered. She nodded and started to walk towards home.

Loki did not understand why, but he did not want to leave her yet. So he quickly decided to walk her home to make sure she made it safely. He quietly fell in step beside her.

Without saying a word they walked towards her house. Ellie was a little unnerved about him walking so close to her and knowing where she lived, but was glad not to be alone. Trying not to be too obvious, she looked around so she could get a look at his face out of the corner of her eye. He was a proud looking man, stoic. He carried himself with a definite air. Definitely not from around here. Shoulder length black hair and light eyes. Ellie was still not sure what color. But was he ever good looking. They made it all the way to Ellie's house without saying a word.

"Thank you again." Ellie said as she turned to face him. She tried to avoid looking into his eyes but was drawn to them anyways. There was a lot of pain in his eyes and she was unconsciously mesmerized by them.

Loki bowed before her and then turned to leave. Ellie followed Loki with her eyes as he walk away. When he reached the sidewalk he turned and looked back over his shoulder. Her heart skipped a beat and she brought her hand up to her heart. Who was this mystery man? He intrigued her but deep down she was slightly frightened by him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

As Ellie turned towards the front door, she saw the front blinds slide back into place.

"Oh God." She mumbled.

Bill would be inside waiting for her. She knew he saw her walk up with a man and he would have plenty to say about it. Where else could she go? The list was very short and she had no way of getting there. Going in was her only option.

Ellie shut the door quietly behind her hoping to avoid a confrontation. She started to walk towards her bedroom and was stopped short by a large hand on her shoulder.

"Where the hell have you been?" Bill grumbled. He was obviously drunk as usual.

"I was studying at the diner." She hung her head and replied.

"Well then who the hell was that man you were with?"

"He just walked me home."

"I've never seen him before. Who is he?" he asked irritated.

"I don't know his name," Ellie said cringing know what would come next.

"You walked home with a stranger and didn't even ask him his name. What the hell is wrong with you? I thought you were smarter than that?"

"Cody stopped me on my way home. He wanted me to go with him and I refused. He didn't want to take no for an answer and that man intervened. He walked me home in case Cody showed up again." Ellie explained.

"Some man helped you and then didn't tell you his name? You're a liar." Bill said getting angry.

"Why would I lie?" Ellie asked confused.

"Because you're a whore. You know that man and you just don't want to admit it. You were a whore in high school. Why would that change? Your just like your mother!" Bill said starting to get loud.

Ellie was taken aback by that. She was used to him saying all kinds of mean things about her but Bill had never said a bad word about her mother before. What had changed to make him say that now? She looked at Bill with shock and didn't know how to respond.

"You were off somewhere doing nasty things with that man weren't you? You little slut!" Bill pulled his arm back and hit Ellie hard across her face.

….

Heimdall, the watcher of Asgard, stood at his post and watched the happenings down on earth. He watched Thor finding love with the woman Jane. Thor was lied to by his brother Loki about their father's death, but he was learning the kind of man he should be. Jane was becoming a good influence on him and Thor began to think before he acted. What surprised Heimdall was that Loki himself was keeping an eye on Thor. Loki would leave his throne and come down to earth, not just watch him with his magic abilities.

Heimdall knew how much Loki was jealous of his brother because of the big shadow Thor could cast. But Heimdall saw how Loki was following in Thor's footsteps even though Loki could not see it yet. The young woman was changing Loki's life even though neither knew how much both of their lives would be impacted.

…..

Jane was sitting on the roof of her lab having a bonfire with Thor and discussing more about the nine realms and the way the bifrost worked to travel between these worlds.

"So you travel instantly from one place to another?" Jane asked.

"Almost. There is a bit of time to travel. It is not long, yet it is a thrill." Thor replied.

He leaned forward to grab Jane's hand. They looked each other in the eyes for a few moments till Thor pulled away and stood up quickly.

"What's the matter?" Jane asked a little stunned.

"Did you not hear that?" Thor said as he looked around.

He strode over to the edge of the roof and looked down. There was a young girl sitting on the curb across the street. Her forehead was resting on her knees and he could see her body shaking from the sobs that had alerted him to her presence.

"Jane. I think you need to see this."

Jane stood and walked over to Thor's side. He placed his hands around her waist to steady her as she stood at the edge of the roof.

"Oh my god, Ellie!" Jane exclaimed as she turned to go down the stairs.

Thor followed on her heels as Jane cautiously approached Ellie who shivered on the curb. A big duffle bag and a smaller backpack were thrown in a pile a few feet away from her.

"Ellie?" Jane said quietly. "Are you alright?"

"No." came Ellie's muffled voice from between her knees.

"Do you require some assistance?" Thor asked.

Ellie flinched at his deep voice. Jane put her palm on Thor's chest to indicate he should stay in that spot, then Jane approached Ellie and slowly sat down next to her. Jane looked up at Thor and gently put her hand on Ellie's back. Within seconds Ellie slid into Jane's arms and cried.

"Is it your dad?" Jane asked.

Ellie nodded her head.

"Is he drunk again?"

Another nod.

"Did he kick you out?"

"No. I left. I couldn't stay there anymore. He called me names and…"

Thor saw Ellie look up at Jane and then quickly lower her head. There was a quick look of shock on Jane's face and she immediately hugged Ellie to her.

"Stay with me tonight. We will figure this out. Could you please grab her bags?" Jane motioned to Thor and he moved to pick up the girls things.

Without raising her head, Ellie walked with her face tucked into Jane's shoulder. The girls walked into Jane's trailer and Thor waited on the little couch while Ellie went into the little bedroom. A few moments later Jane walked out of the room with a sad look on her face. She walked to the freezer, reached inside, grabbed a towel and walked back into the room. Thor was now truly concerned with what had happened to the young girl.

"She's resting now. Let's give her some peace and quiet." Jane said as she walked back in the room and grabbed Thor's hand to pull him outside and back up to the fire.

"What is going on?" Thor asked along the way.

As they sat down by the fire Jane let out a deep breath. "She got into a fight with her father again."

With having just learned that his father passed away Thor thought of how he should have done things very differently in regards to his father.

"Well maybe she should be more respectful of her father."

Jane shook her head. "Her father doesn't deserve any respect in my opinion."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Loki sat on his the throne contemplating his next move. He had decided that he wanted the frost giants to come and kill his father as he lay in his Odin sleep. But now he began to second guess his choice. There was something about this girl Ellie that had him thinking about his options.

As the decisions weighed heavily on his shoulders Sif, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg entered the throne room.

"My lord, we beg of you to release Thor from his banishment."

Loki contemplated their request after he sent Thor's friends away. Ellie was beginning to make him soft. She was making him weak. How could he want to forgive his brother now? Loki warred with himself and before he realized it he found himself on earth searching out the girl. Again.

…

Thor waited outside of Jane's trailer in the morning. He wanted to apologize to her for getting upset with her the night before because they had disagreed about Ellie's handling of her father. He could not understand how Jane could feel that way about this man when she had showed him so many other times how the little things he said and did were disrespectful to others.

Jane stepped out of her trailer and smiled at Thor. He felt she must not be too mad at him for their disagreement. But then Thor felt anger rise when Ellie stepped out of the trailer. She attempted to keep her face lowered but there was no way to hide the bruising on the left side of her face.

"Ellie this is Thor." Jane said to finally make the introductions.

Ellie tried to keep her face turned slightly away as she reached out to shake his hand. Thor gently took her hand in his own and bowed over it and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. A slight blushing of red tinted the side of Ellie's face that Thor could see.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Ellie said with a slight smile on her face before she winced from the pain.

"The pleasure is all mine, I assure you." Thor replied. "Did your father do that to you?"

Ellie immediately tensed and shifted where she stood. "Um. Yes. It's okay. I'm fine.

"That is certainly not alright. A man should never lay a hand on a woman in anger." Thor said with all sincerity.

Ellie turned red and began to cry. Thor was still holding her hand and he pulled her into his arms to give her a hug. She wrapped her arms around his waist and cried. Jane stepped up and began to rub Ellie's back.

"Let's go in and I'll make us some breakfast and we can talk some more." Jane said.

Thor guided Ellie into the lab and held Jane's hand.

"Please accept my apologies for last night. I should not have jumped to a conclusion until I knew all of the facts."

"Let's not worry about that now." Jane replied. "Let's take care of Ellie first."

….

The jealousy and rage that Loki felt at that moment was unfathomable even to him. He had never felt these emotions to that level before. What was this tiny human doing to him? But Thor was holding Ellie in his arms! How could he have even thought about letting his brother come back to Asgard. Loki had even thought about telling Thor the truth that their father was still alive, only in the Odin sleep. But now his plan had changed. Now Thor must die.

Loki went to the Odenheim to finalize his plans. After this, no one would challenge his rightful place in Asgard. By getting rid of Thor, he would be the next in line for the throne.

….

After Ellie had breakfast with Jane and Thor, she headed back to the trailer to lie down again. Her head was killing her and she needed to put some more ice on her eye. She wrapped the ice in a towel and crawled back into the little bed in the back of the trailer. When she closed her eyes the face of the man that saved her the night before flashed into her mind. Who was he? She had seen him twice now. The first time he was rude to her and then the next time he came to her rescue. And after it all she still didn't even know his name.

Ellie remembered when he held her arm and gently pulled her behind him. She felt the tingle all over again where his hand had touched her. What would it be like if he…

"No!" she said and opened her eyes to get rid of the vision of him. She must not think about him.

Ellie would never see him again. She was getting out of this town. Jane said she would help her find a place to stay at school so she would not have to come home anymore. Bill was no longer going to be a part of her life. Ellie was going to move on, get her college education and make something of her life so she would never struggle like her parents did.

Finally feeling tired enough to sleep; Ellie closed her eyes hoping not to see the vision of her gorgeous rescuer again.

…..

Loki could not help himself; he had to see her one more time. After the events planned for this day, he did not know if he would ever see her lovely face again. Once he found Ellie alone in the trailer he used his magic to transport himself inside so no one would see him. As he walked into the bedroom, he found her curled up on her left side with a wet towel clutched to her face. Ellie looked so beautiful. So peaceful. Loki wondered why he could never feel that way. For those few moments when he walked her home the night before he had a glimpse of what peace might feel like. He had wondered what it might have felt like to walk with her hand in his. What it would have been like if she could be his. The other half of his soul. Was she? No. Ellie couldn't be. She was too good for him. Loki had spent most of his life being bitter. Towards his brother, towards Thor's friends and sometimes even towards his parents. Even though now he knew they were not his real family. But he still loved them as if they were.

Ellie would never be his. This would be the last time he would see her. So Loki wanted to remember this moment forever. He slowly reached down to caress the side of Ellie's face. Her skin was so warm and soft. He closed his eyes for a moment and thought about how he could change his plans and keep Ellie forever.

Ellie moaned softly and turned her face into Loki's hand. When he opened his eyes to look at her he nearly roared in anger. The whole left side of Ellie's face was bruised and her eye was swollen. Who could have done this to her? He knew Thor would never hurt a woman. Then who? Rage filled Loki as he realized that Cody must have come back and found her. Cody must have taken revenge on Ellie for what happened the night before. She must have then gone to Thor for comfort. This enraged Loki even more. Now there would be two men who would find their end in his plan.

Ellie dreamt that her rescuer came to her in the trailer. She felt his hand on her face and she turned into it to feel the warmth and the shivers that it sent down her spine. When she slowly opened her eyes his face came into focus. He had this haunted look. Ellie tried to smile, but the left side of her face twinged in pain.

Loki winced when he saw the effort it took for her to try to smile at him. His heart warmed that she was happy to see him but the anger inside was overpowering. Ellie opened her mouth to say something but Loki put his fingers gently to her lips to silence her. He leaned down and lightly placed a kiss upon her lips. Ellie closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of his lips on hers and her whole body tingled.

The kiss lingered for a moment and then Loki pulled away.

"Sleep." He whispered.

Ellie's eyes remained closed and Loki used his magic to leave the same way he had come in. He had not wanted to leave her and he certainly had not wanted to end the kiss. Just the brief touch of their lips set him on fire. Never had a woman made him feel that way. Loki took one last look at the trailer and then disappeared.

A short time later Ellie opened her eyes to the empty trailer thinking what happened was only a dream. Moments later Ellie heard yelling and people running. She threw herself out of bed and ran outside. Jane and Thor ran up to her.

"You need to get your things and get into the back of Mr. Jameson's truck right now!" Jane practically yelled.

"Why? What's going on?" Ellie asked startled by the command.

"Don't ask now. I will have to explain another time." Jane replied.

Ellie then looked past Jane and saw Thor talking to some very oddly dressed people.

"Who are they?"

"Please Ellie, just get your things and get into the truck!"

Ellie stepped back into the trailer and grabbed her bags from under the table and went back outside. Thor took her bags and threw them into the bed of the truck and then grabbed her by the waist and lifted her in as well.

Thor hit the door of the truck and yelled "Go!"

As the truck sped down the street Ellie saw the strangely dressed people walking in the other direction towards a large….robot?! Then things started to explode.

…

Loki saw that Ellie was in the back of the truck speeding out of town and knew he could now unleash the Destroyer on his brother and the town where Ellie's attacker lived. He sat down on his throne to watch what would happen. What he should have expected was that Sif, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg would have gone against him and left for earth to bring Thor back to Asgard.

Loki watched as the Destroyer ripped through the town. He saw that Cody had escaped so now his main goal was Thor. His friends fought hard for him since he no longer possessed his power. The fear was evident on Jane's face as she watched the destruction around her.

Thor's friends fought with all they had, but Thor knew they would not survive if they kept going.

"You must return to Asgard. You have to stop Loki." Thor said to his friends.

"What about you?" Fandral asked.

"Don't worry my friends, I have a plan." Thor said with a smile.

"We need to fall back." Fandral said as he gathered everyone together and led them away.

"Wait! What's he doing?" Jane asked as she saw Thor walking towards the Destroyer.

"Brother, whatever I have done to wrong you. Whatever I have done to lead you to do this, I am truly sorry." Thor said knowing that Loki would hear him. "But these people are innocent. Taking their lives will gain you nothing. So take mine and end this."

Loki thought of Ellie. He could picture her face and see the smile when he had touched her cheek. He thought of what it would be like to have her by his side. His determination began to dwindle. Loki commanded the Destroyer to return but then wondered how Ellie could ever want a man like him and remembered how she had gone to Thor for comfort.

The Destroyer took a smashing swing at Thor and sent his body flying.

"No!" Jane screamed and ran towards Thor as his body landed in a heap. She knelt down next to him and cradled his face in her hands.

"It's over." Thor whispered.

"It's not over." Jane replied.

"No. I mean you're safe."

"Yes. Yes we're safe."

Loki watched as Thor smiled up at Jane and closed his eyes for the last time.

Knowing now that his brother was dealt with, Loki went to the bifrost to proceed with the next part of his plan. Heimdall knew what had happened and tried to stop Loki from making a huge mistake. Loki froze Heimdall in ice to keep him from alerting Asgard that he had let in King Laufey and some of his frost giants. The giants thought they were going to kill Odin while he slept but Loki had other plans.

(You know what happens next. I will get nothing else written if I keep narrating the movie so I will go back and put this in at a later date. So please move on. This next part will now take place months after Loki fell.)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Ellie walked down the sidewalk towards her apartment carrying a bag of groceries when her cellphone began to ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Ellie. How are you?"

"Hey, Jane. It's great to hear from you. How are things down in New Mexico?"

"Things are just okay down there. But I've moved."

"Really?" Ellie thought Jane would never leave New Mexico. She was so intent on her research.

"I got a call for this great job opportunity and I just couldn't pass it up. It's only for a short time but I think it will help me with my research back in New Mexico."

"That's great! So, have you heard from Thor?" Ellie asked tentatively. She knew how it hurt Jane to talk about him.

Jane sighed. "No. But I'm always waiting. There have still been no sightings of any of the disturbances so I think something really must have happened in Asgard to prevent anything from coming through."

"Well I hope things turn out with this new job of yours. I know how much you miss him."

"So. Speaking of men, have you met anyone up there in New York?" Jane asked with a smile in her voice.

"No. I'm not looking to get involved with anyone right now. Things are finally starting to calm down with school and the internship you helped me get. Finding someone right now would totally mess things up for me."

"Are you still hung up on that guy you told me about?" Jane asked. Ellie knew if she could see Jane's face there would be an all knowing grin on it.

"I am not hung up on him." Ellie said feeling a little exasperated. "I only saw him those two times and I didn't even know his name. How could I possibly be hung up on him?"

Ellie wasn't even sure how she felt about him. She knew that she was attracted to him, but the man frightened her somehow. The man had rescued her but deep down she felt that there was something different about him. Something off. Something dark. Something exciting. A shiver went down her spine as she remembered the burning tingle of his touch. Ellie had never even told Jane about the dream she had in her trailer. If Jane knew that bit of information she would have had more fuel for the fire.

"Well I saw that glint in your eye when you told me about him. I think there could have been something there if given a chance."

"That's never gonna happen because I'm never going to see him again." Ellie said feeling regret. "I don't know where he is from and I moved completely across the country. So let's move on from this subject please."

Ellie had reached her apartment by this point and proceeded to put her groceries away while she continued to talk to Jane. Her apartment was a tiny one room affair that she could afford on her minimal income. Jane had helped her get accepted to Columbia University, an internship and the small apartment she now stood in. It was all she needed in her life. But then why, whenever she was alone, did her mind wander to that tall, dark and handsome stranger?

"Are you even listening to me?" Jane cut into her thoughts.

"I'm sorry. What?"

"When are you going to come and visit me?"

"Oh I don't know. I have a school break coming up in a few weeks. Maybe if I can scrape together the cash I can fly out by you." Ellie said even though knowing full well that Jane would pay for her airfare anyway.

"Well let me know the dates and I will price it out. So I will talk to you again soon."

"Goodbye Jane."

"Bye Ellie."

Ellie hung up the phone and stared around her apartment. It was such a beautiful day outside that she didn't feel like hanging out in her little place. So she picked up her book, iPod and wallet and headed out the door. Lounging under a tree and reading a book today was the perfect way for her to relax, get out and get her mind off the tall, dark and sexy stranger.

…..

Loki stood on top of Stark Tower while Eric Selvig was starting up the machine that would bring his army to this world and make him King. He looked out over New York City and his mind wandered to Ellie as it usually did. Where was she? After the tesseract brought him back to earth and he destroyed SHEILD headquarters, the first place he went back to was New Mexico. He wanted to find Ellie. He thought that maybe she could have brought peace to his troubled mind. There had been so many places and things that he had seen since falling into the abyss from Asgard that he wondered if the path he was following was truly the right one. But she was no longer there. She had left the small town.

Loki had gone to Ellie's home to find her but her father said she had moved out. The smell of alcohol just poured out of the man's skin and nearly made Loki sick. Then Bill had recognized him as the man who had walked Ellie home the night she left.

"I thought the little whore was with you." Bill said.

Not understanding what the word meant Loki said, "Pardon me?"

"You heard me. I thought that slut ran off with you after I punished her for fucking around with you." Bill said slurring his words and leaning up against the doorframe to keep himself upright.

That's when Loki began to understand. This man was the one who had hit her and bruised her beautiful face. Loki slowly stepped towards Bill. Bill looked at Loki as he advanced with fear in his eyes. He desperately tried to shut the door but Loki put his hand up to stop it. With a shove Loki pushed Bill back into the house and shut the door behind him. That was the last time Bill was seen alive.

Not knowing what had happened to Ellie, Loki had decided to proceed with his plan to take over the earth.

(Enter the battle scene from the Avengers)

…

After having spent a peaceful afternoon in the park reading her book, Ellie made her way back towards her apartment. She stopped at a street side café for a late lunch. She was reading some more of her book and eating a small salad when everyone began screaming and running around her. She looked at people who were in sheer panic. Looking up she saw things flying in the air and had no idea what they were. Dropping her book, she ran out into the street with everyone else trying to get back to her apartment. Pieces of the buildings started to fall around her as the strange flying machines fired at people and the buildings. Iron Man buzzed overhead as he was trying to take out some of the creatures. The next thing she knew a huge flying worm like creature came around the building. The last thing Ellie remembers was a ton of mortar from the building falling on top of her.

….

(Enter more battle until the Avengers capture Loki)

All beat up from the smashing that the Hulk delivered on him, Loki walked out of Stark Tower to a waiting police van surrounded by the Hulk, Captain America, Iron Man, and his brother Thor. He kept trying to think of ways to escape and they all knew it. Thor had a tight grip on him even though he kept attempting to pull away. He was shoved into the van and driven to a nearby hospital where there was a SHIELD jet waiting on the roof to take them back to the helicarrier.

As Thor was pulling Loki out of the van an ambulance pulled up and a gurney was being pulled out of the back. Loki knew many people had been injured and died in this battle but at this point he did not care. Thor still had a tight grip on him when he glanced at the gurney and nearly broke his arm trying to pull away from his brother.

Ellie laid on that gurney. She was seriously injured. He could tell, even through the dust and mortar, by the pale color of her skin and the cuts and bruises that covered her from head to toe. Loki's heart broke. This was his fault.

"Oh no! Ellie!" Loki whispered.

He went limp in his brothers' grasp. Thor looked at Loki seeing that for some reason all the fight had left his brother. He followed Loki's gaze and saw what looked to be a young woman lying on the gurney. He found it curious that after all the death and destruction that he had caused, why would one injured young girl affect his brother.

Thor dragged Loki away but his gaze never left Ellie's face until he could no longer see her.

….

Loki waited in the holding cell at SHEILD surrounded by armed guards. He knew they would be no match for him but he felt there was no reason for him to fight anymore. Ellie was most likely dead by now. Her injuries looked serious and they were all because he had to think himself above everyone else. As he sat there, Loki wondered what had changed in him.

Now he would just have to wait until Thor took him back to Asgard. Then he would have to face Odin. He feared what his father would do to him after all that he had done to everyone. The lies and manipulation were not easily forgiven but he would take the punishment no matter how severe. Nothing they did to him would make up for what he had done to Ellie.

Facing his father would be bad enough, but facing his mother didn't even bear thinking. She was such a loving woman that he could barely comprehend how much he had hurt her with the things he had done. Loki had saved his father from King Laufey, but he had let the giant into Asgard in the first place. That is when he realized what Ellie had done to him. She made him feel again. Ellie helped him feel something other than pain.

"It is time brother." Thor said as he entered the cell. "You must wear these."

Loki looked up at what his brother carried and almost wanted to laugh. Thor held hand cuffs and a mask. He knew that Thor felt it necessary but Loki had no intentions of fighting him. He was going home to the place he loved knowing full well he would not receive a warm welcome and he would go willing.

They were escorted by all the Avengers to the bifrost sight in Central Park where in a few moments Thor would take him home using the tesseract. He glanced at all their faces. The looks they gave him let him know what they really thought. They were happy he would no longer be their problem.

Thor held up the tesseract for Loki to grab the other end. Thor nodded and said goodbye then they disappeared into the bifrost.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The doctors and nurses came in and out of Ellie's hospital room. She was in a medically induced coma due to all the injuries she sustained when the side of the building fell down on top of her. Jane, who was Ellie's emergency contact, had flown in to be with her. The doctors did not think she would live. Time was quickly running out for her.

The doctors told Jane that she needed to start making decisions on whether or not they would take Ellie off of life support when the time came. The swelling on her brain would eventually lead to brain death. Even though Jane did not want to call Ellie's father, she tried to contact him. The phone line was disconnected. She called the diner back in New Mexico to see if she could get into contact with Bill but found out that he was found dead in his home. Jane thought the alcohol finally took its toll on Bill's body. So this meant that Jane was the only person Ellie had left.

Jane sat down in the chair in the corner and cried. She didn't know what to do. Never before had she ever held someone else's life in her hands. In a way she hoped that Ellie's body would give out before she had to make that decision.

In the middle of the night Jane awoke in the chair, the room was dark and she sensed she wasn't alone. Other than the beeps from Ellie's monitors there was no sound but something had awoken her.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you again Jane."

She knew that voice. "Thor?"

"Yes Jane. It is me."

Jane flung herself out of the chair and into Thor's awaiting arms.

"I thought I would never see you again!" she cried into his massive chest.

"So did I. But I am here now."

They stood there in each other's arms and just felt content.

Jane finally broke the spell. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to bring Ellie back to Asgard. But I am so happy to see you. Why are you here?"

"I am Ellie's emergency contact. When she was hurt they called me." She pulled back to look up into Thor's face. "Why are you taking her back with you?" Jane asked confused.

"By my father's orders. It seems that Loki has feelings for Ellie."

"What! How could that be? They have never even met."

"Loki would come to keep an eye on me when I was banished on earth. While he was here he met this young woman and came to her aid. It also seems that when Loki returned to earth he sought her out first. When he could not find her, he continued with his plan to overtake the earth. Ellie seems to have power over Loki."

"How do you know all this?" Jane asked.

"Heimdall has seen it." Thor said plainly.

"Who's Heimdall?"

"He is our protector. Heimdall sees all that goes on in the realms when he is looking. While I was banished here with you, Loki sat on the throne of Asgard while my father slept. Heimdall kept watch on Loki and he saw the connection between Loki and Ellie. So my father thinks that she may be the key to Loki coming back to us."

"Where is Loki now?"

"We locked him in his chambers. He is guarded at all times but he has not even tried to escape. It's almost as if he has given up and become complaisant with the situation he is now in. Almost a shadow of himself. I am here to bring Ellie home in hopes that I can save my brother and bring back the good man I know he is." Thor said.

"She is dying Thor. I don't think she is going to make it. The doctors are already having me make plans for the end of her life." Jane exclaimed. "I don't even think she would make the trip."

"I did not realize that she was injured so badly. We must take her now before it is too late for our medicine to help her. Heimdall!" Thor yelled to the ceiling. "Have the healers ready for when we arrive."

Jane looked at Thor confused.

"He can hear me. Heimdall will have everything ready for when we arrive."

"Where is the nearest bifrost sight?" Jane asked.

"It is in Central Park." Thor replied.

"That's a twenty minute car ride from here. She will never make that in her condition, if she even makes the trip through the bifrost."

"I will have to fly us."

Thor walked over to Ellie and stared at the wires and IVs hooked up all over her.

"Let me." Jane said as she started to remove everything. "You will have to leave with her immediately after I pull everything off or the hospital staff will be alerted that something is wrong."

Thor looked at Ellie and then at Jane. "I cannot carry you both if she is so badly injured."

"Leave me. I will be alright."

"Jane. I can not leave you again." Thor said with a painful look on his face.

"If your world can save her, then you need to get her there as soon as possible. I will wait for you."

Thor pulled Jane into his arms and kissed her deeply. "I will come back for you this time. I promise."

She smiled up at him. "Hurry! You must go."

As soon as Jane had Ellie unhooked from the machines, Thor gathered Ellie in his arms and moved to the window. "I love you Jane."

Thor swung his hammer and flew out the window. Jane smiled and then quickly moved to the chair before everyone started to rush in.

…..

As soon as Thor landed in Central Park he checked Ellie to make sure she was still alive. Moving quickly into position the bifrost brought him back to Asgard. Heimdall stood waiting with a group of people who immediately started to assess Ellie's injuries.

"She does not have much time. We need to get her to the healing room." One of them said.

"I will take her." Thor said and took off once again.

Landing in the healing room he quickly moved to the bed and laid her down. Thor stepped back while five healers started to work on her injuries. At that moment his mother, Frigga, walked into the room followed by four guards and Loki.

…..

Pain. All Ellie could feel was pain. It was a new sensation considering for some time she felt nothing at all. She thought she was dead. Did this mean she was alive? Unfortunately the pain just kept getting stronger and then a strange itching sensation. Did that mean she was healing? Her eyes would not open and she was happy for that in a strange way. It hurt to even breathe. Then slowly her hearing started to return instead of the constant humming she experienced before. Ellie could hear voices around her but did not recognize any of them.

"She is doing better." One voice said. "She will survive."

"Her injuries were extensive but they are all slowly starting to heal," said another voice.

"When will she awaken?"

Wait, that voice sounded familiar to her.

"I do not know. The human medicine is very unfamiliar to us. We do not understand how it works or how long it will remain in her system."

Ellie felt a gentle touch upon her cheek and then a familiar tingle.

"Let me know if anything changes immediately." The familiar voice said as footsteps moved out of the room.

"Why does Loki care? After all that he has done," said the first voice.

"I cannot believe that Odin allows him walk among us even if he does have guards," said the second.

Ellie laid there and listened to the two men talk about all the atrocities this Loki had done. She was shocked by what he had done to New York City but then became confused about where she was. These people had a different way of speaking. They sounded more eloquent than where she was from.

"Let us grab more healing stones. It is time to use them again," said the second voice.

Healing stones? Where the hell was she?

…..

Loki sat in his chambers thinking about Ellie lying in the healing room. He found his mind wandering to her more and more. She was slowly getting better. That made the knot in his chest loosen. He still did not know if he could ever completely get rid of the ache. He was the one that caused so much pain for everyone, especially Ellie. Never in his life had he ever felt so much regret and deep down it made him angry.

Looking out over Asgard from his balcony he contemplated what would happen next. He was surprised that his family was happy to see him again even after all that he had done to them and so many others. When Odin ordered him confined to his chambers he could not believe it. He felt that there was ulterior motive and this made him wary. For he was certain that the dungeons deep below the palace were to be his home for the rest of his life. Yet here he was in the comfort of his own chambers where his mother would come and sit with him. Frigga would do all the talking. Not once did she bring up the unpleasantness that had occurred.

Then a few days after Thor brought him back his mother came to see him as usual. Except this time she asked him to follow her. He stared after her for a moment but followed none the less. He was then flanked by guards which did not surprise him. Loki followed his mother for a while and no one said a word. Curiosity was killing him but he felt it was much safer not to ask. They finally stopped outside of the healing room. His mother turned to him and with a small smile grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze then turned to walk into the room. At first he feared for the health of his father but knew they would treat him in his own chambers. Then why would they be here?

As Loki followed his mother into the room he saw Thor standing in the corner with a grim look on his face. He saw the healers huddled around the bed working frantically over someone. Stepping next to Frigga he looked down and saw Ellie lying on the bed. His heart raced with seeing her but he could see she was not well. He moved closer and stood next to her bed and brushed his fingers against the back of her hand. Ellie's skin was pale and her hand was so cold. Without showing any emotion, Loki inwardly hoped she could be healed.

Thinking back on that memory of her laying in the healing room he never noticed his brother enter the room. Thor stood in the doorway and observed Loki. He had changed. It was evident in the way he carried himself. He truly cared for this girl. Loki went to visit her in the healing room every day. He would sit there for hours and hold her hand all while the guards waited outside. Then he would go back to his chamber. Never did he ask to go anywhere else. Was Loki truly in love with this girl?

"How are you today brother?"

Loki spun around to face Thor surprised that he never heard him walk in. Without saying a word he turned around to look out the window again.

"Will you not speak to me?" Thor asked.

Loki stayed silent.

"Fine, I will do all the talking then. We are all glad to have you home no matter what you may think. It did not feel like home without you. I know you hate me. And I am truly sorry for all that I have done to you without even realizing it. I don't expect you to forgive me. But I would at least like to try and be like we were before. I missed you terribly and all the chaos we used to cause."

When Loki said nothing in return Thor turned and left the room. Loki hung his head. His brother had come in and apologized to him. With all that had happened and his brother had done the apologizing. Loki felt all mixed up inside.

….

Ellie had been in Asgard for just over a week now. Thor had gone to bring Jane back as well. She was so happy to have someone there that she knew. Ellie knew Thor, but only a little and he had many things to do so Jane came every day to keep her company. She was finally awake now and the pain in her head had subsided to a dull ache. Sitting up was a chore but she managed and was now able to eat some real food. The accident had happened just over two weeks ago and she had lost a lot of weight from not eating. Jane said she looked so boney and frail.

Once she was able to sit, her caretakers moved her into her own chamber which was right down the hall from Jane's. There were constantly big platters of food brought to her to encourage her to eat. Ellie would usually take a few bites just to be polite, but her appetite had not fully returned. The happiest she was in this strange place was the day she was finally able to get out of bed on her own. Jane or some of the other women would usually come and help her into the bathroom which was bigger than her apartment back in New York.

Ellie had awoke early and lay in her large bed. She almost felt like she was back to normal but every now and then she would suffer a dizzy spell. So she slowly sat up and dropped her legs over the side of the bed. As she contemplated the chore of getting herself to the bathroom she heard a knock on her door.

Figuring it was Jane or one of the other women there to help her she said, "Come in."

The door opened and Ellie was surprised to see her rescuer walk into the room dressed in green and brown leather and carrying a platter of food. He moved with that air of authority. His face was still a mask of no emotion. Ellie now felt intimidated in his presence with her condition still being so fragile.

"I have brought you some breakfast."

"Thank you." Ellie replied timidly.

Loki looked at her with this intense gaze and she had to look away from his beautiful eyes. Ellie glanced down at herself and noticed her night dress was all twisted and she was showing way more of her chest than she thought decent. She tried to discretely cover herself but failed miserably as she fumbled with the cloth.

Loki smiled as he turned to set the tray down on a table and Ellie struggled like a fool. He was happy to see her awake and starting to look like her old self. Ellie was thin but her skin was the warm lightly tanned color she had before. When she finally righted herself, he turned back to face her.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Yes. Thank you."

Ellie stood slowly and felt pretty good so she gingerly stepped towards the chaise lounge near the tray of food. Loki stood aloof, too unsure to get near her. She got about five steps away from the bed and started to feel dizzy. Loki saw instantly that she was about to fall so throwing caution aside he quickly stepped to her side and grabbed a hold of her waist to steady her. They both immediately felt the tingle where their bodies touched. Ellie looked up into Loki's eyes and felt her face flush. He gazed back into her eyes and the urge to kiss her overwhelmed him. She already felt uncomfortable because her top nearly exposed her breasts so he felt he should not take advantage.

Before he would lose the battle in his mind Loki guided Ellie over to the lounge and helped her to sit down. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breathes till her mind became clear again. Loki stood over and watched her to make sure the spell would pass. As the dizziness disappeared, a small smile came to Ellie's lips. When she opened her eyes they came in direct contact with his intent stare. Ellie quickly looked away so Loki turned and pulled the table closer to her so she could reach.

Ellie was so confused. She had so many questions. The fact that she was brought here and it saved her life was something she would never be thankful enough for. Then there was the unexplained intense attraction she had for the man standing in front of her. The one thing she truly wanted to understand was why she was brought here. But no one wanted to give her straight answers.

"You are looking well." Loki said.

"I'm feeling better thank you." Ellie paused and then mustered her courage to ask him. "Why am I here?"

Loki looked at Ellie confused by the direct question.

"I know Jane had me brought here to save my life, but that doesn't really feel like the whole story to me."

Loki realized that Ellie felt in the dark about some things. He was in the dark about a lot of the same. He was unsure why Ellie was brought to Asgard and he was confused why he was allowed to come into her chamber without his guards. This whole situation seemed a tad odd. Did she even know who he was and what he had done? He did not think so.

"I do not know the answer to that." Loki said plainly.

Ellie looked down feeling a little disheartened.

"But I will try to find out," he added.

Ellie wasn't sure how to take this man most of the time but he seemed sincere in that moment. She sighed but then reached over to the tray to grab a bite of food. She looked at the tray unsure of what to grab. There were some odd looking fruits, some cheeses and slices of stuff that could be meat. Everything looked so different from what she was used to.

Loki saw Ellie's confusion about the food, smiled and stepped up to the tray. "Here, try this. It is similar to your beef I think it is called. And it tastes wonderful with a bite of this cheese."

Ellie smiled at her rescuer as he helped her through the meal. They compared foods from earth and Asgard which then led into a conversation about their childhoods through what they were made to eat as children and could not stand. Ellie wasn't sure how it happened but it led into her talking about her mother dying when she was young and being raised by her father. Loki tensed when she brought up her father, but she continued on to say how her father was not a good man and left it at that.

Ellie observed Loki through the time they spent together. He was pleasant to her but remained somewhat reserved. She was pretty sure that Loki was enjoying the time they spent together but he seemed like he was uncomfortable. It was no matter to her, Ellie was happy to have someone new to talk to.

Loki and Ellie talked for a little while longer when Jane knocked and walked into the room. She saw the two leaning towards each other as they talked. They quickly moved away. Jane smiled to herself knowing that they probably didn't even realize they were doing it. Jane was happy that she could report to Loki's family that the two seemed to be hitting it off.

"Well, I shall leave you ladies alone." Loki stood to leave.

"Wait." Ellie said.

Loki had reached the door and turned around.

"After all this time and I still don't even know your name."

He smirked, said "Loki" and left.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Loki walked back to his chamber feeling more light hearted than he had in years. Even though he was being followed by his guards. He had spent the morning talking with Ellie, learning many things about each other. He talked about things from childhood that he had not thought about in years. Remembering those times made him question whether or not he should have followed the path he had. What would things have been like if he had chosen not to be jealous of Thor? There were so many things he could have done differently, but would they have really led to a different outcome.

….

Ellie lounged in the huge bathtub trying to make sense of her mixed up feelings. She had finally found out the identity of her rescuer. He was the one who had sent the Destroyer to her home in the attempt to kill Thor. He was also the one who brought the alien army to take over the earth. She should be afraid of him and what he could do. Yet after the time they just spent together she was less afraid of him. Except for the first time they met, he had treated her well. Every time they touched she would feel a connection that she could not explain. Her whole body would come alive. And then there was the dream. When his lips had touched hers she thought the trailer was burning around her. She could remember the smell of his skin and the whisper of his breath on her face. The harder she thought about that dream she began to wonder if it was a dream at all. It had felt so real.

"Are you alright in there?" Jane said from the other side of the door.

"Yes." Ellie yelled towards the door.

"It's so quiet in there. Do you need anything?"

"No. I'm fine. I'll be out in a few minutes." Ellie replied.

"Let me know if you need some help."

Ellie sighed. Except for the occasional dizziness, she was fine. Getting out of the tub was a little difficult due to the fact that she was still a little weak but she managed on her own and slipped into her robe. She brushed through her hair and walked out into the main chamber. There stood Loki and Jane was nowhere to be seen.

"She heard you were out of the, um, bath so she asked me to stay till she got back in case you needed anything." Loki said slyly.

"Oh." Ellie blushed.

"I came to ask if, now that you are feeling better, you would like to come down to dine with everyone. My mother is putting on a special feast in your honor if you are feeling up to it. Everyone is so anxious to meet you."

"It would be nice to get out of this room. Tell your mother that I would be delighted to join everyone for dinner."

"Excellent. I will let her know immediately." Loki said as he took Ellie's hand. The warmth of her hand moved up his arm and rested in his heart. He looked down at her tiny hand and bowed over it giving her delicate fingers a gentle kiss.

Ellie's fingers tingled and a pleasant heat started in her chest and rose into her face. To keep from doing anything embarrassing, she lowered her head so he could not see the blush in her cheeks. Loki lifted his hand to her chin and gently brought her face up to look into his eyes. He did not like when she hid her face from him.

"Until tonight then."

Then he turned and walked out of the room. Ellie stared at the door. Her mind was in turmoil. How she feared what he could do, but most of all she feared the lust in her heart.

Moments later Jane walked back into the room. She knew Loki had just left having purposefully found some reason to leave the room when he came to ask Ellie down for dinner. Jane still saw the flush in Ellie's cheeks. Ellie was such a good hearted person and she deserved some happiness after the upbringing she had with her father. Loki on the other hand could be very intense in the little time she knew him, yet he seemed to have tamed the monster inside. After each interaction he had with Ellie, he seemed a little more in control. This was good, very good.

…

When Loki left Ellie's room his guards were gone. He looked around but they were nowhere to be seen. He started to walk back to his chamber and half expected them to be waiting around a corner. But he made it all the way to his chamber door without a sign of them. Looking back down the hallway he wondered what this meant.

…

Ellie looked in the mirror. Her hair was a mess and she had no clothes of her own. She was about to meet Odin and his wife and she had nothing to wear. She had come to this place in nothing but her hospital gown. There was a brush on the vanity so she could at least do something with her hair. After looking through the drawers she found some pins and what looked like some little clips so she decided to put her hair up. Since she didn't have any hairspray it took her awhile to get it just right. While admiring her work in the mirror, there was a timid knock at her door.

"Come in."

A young girl walked in with a bundle in her arms. "Frigga thought you might need some clothing to wear to the feast this evening, my lady."

Ellie nodded and then was thankful when she couldn't make sense of the cloth the girl laid out on the bed. She looked at the girl confused.

"I will assist you if you permit me, my lady." The girl said.

"You can call me Ellie, and yes, I would really appreciate the help. What is your name?"

The girl was taken aback by the question but answered, "My name is Kara."

Kara gave Ellie a thin white slip to put on first. She was a little uncomfortable undressing in front of the girl but knew she couldn't do this on her own. Once the slip was on, Kara picked up the lavender fabric and started to wrap and then drape the cloth around her. Finally she took a gold colored chord and wrapped that around her chest so it crisscrossed in the front. When Kara was done, she turned Ellie to face the huge gilded mirror.

"Oh my god! It is beautiful." Ellie exclaimed.

Kara giggled.

"What's so funny?" Ellie asked.

"In Asgard, when people talk about god, they are referring to Odin." Kara replied with a smile.

"Oh! I guess I will have to watch what I say from now on." And Ellie began to giggle as well.

"I nearly forgot the most important part." Kara suddenly said and pulled a small bag out of a hidden pocket. "One cannot wear such a gown and not have the proper adornments."

Kara then slipped on a necklace. It was made of thin gold chains all woven together and hung down into her cleavage. When Ellie looked in the mirror she could not believe how she looked. Never in her life had she had such nice clothes and the way she did her hair happened to work perfectly with the dress.

"You look fit for a King." Kara giggled and turned to leave. Ellie smiled at her joke.

"Thank you for your help Kara. It was a pleasure to meet you. The dress and necklace are wonderful."

Kara turned and bowed to Ellie, "The pleasure is all mine Ellie."

Ellie looked at herself one more time in the mirror and could not believe how nice she looked. She then turned to walk out onto the balcony. Hopefully Jane would come to get her for dinner because she had no idea where the feast was being held. There was a cushioned lounge chair on the balcony so Ellie dragged it over to the side so she could sit and look out over Asgard. The city was absolutely beautiful but she missed earth. She had school and her internship to go back to.

Jane and Thor came a short time later to escort Ellie down to the feast.

"Ellie, you look very lovely," Thor said as he kissed her hand and Ellie blushed.

Jane gave her a little hug. "Are you ready?"

"I guess so," she replied warily.

Ellie looked at the splendor of the inside of the palace. Thor had brought her here weeks ago and this was the first time she was able to see more than her chambers. Everything was open with views to the city outside. Ellie was amazed by the grandeur of everything and before she knew it they stood outside large golden doors.

"Here we are." Thor said. "Are you ready?"

"I think so." Ellie replied a little unsure.

Thor offered her his left arm and Jane his right and then walked them into the dining hall. The first thing Ellie thought was how large everything was. The room was huge. The table looked like it would hold one hundred people and it probably did since it seemed there were at least one hundred people in attendance. Even the people were big. Ellie felt very short compared to everyone. She knew that Thor was tall and even Loki, but everyone was tall even the women.

Loki. Ellie wondered if he was somewhere amongst all the people. She glanced around the room looking for him but did not see him anywhere.

Loki stood in the corner of the room watching as Thor escorted Jane and Ellie into the room. He could not believe how beautiful she looked. She still looked a little thin from her ordeal but her eyes were bright with wonder as she looked around the hall. Was she searching for him? He did not dare to hope for so much from her, but hoped none the less.

He was unsure why he was even invited to the feast. The people in attendance were obviously uncomfortable with his presence since he was no longer guarded. Some would look at him with obvious disgust while others would avoid looking at him at all. Loki had contemplated not coming but his mother insisted that he attend and it gave him another reason to see Ellie again.

Thor led Jane and Ellie around introducing them to different people. Everyone was pleasant to Jane but seemed reserved when being introduced to Ellie. She didn't understand why but continued to be pleasant to everyone she met. They moved between the different groups of people and then Ellie stopped. There he was. Loki stood alone. He was wearing his usual green leather, but this time it was adorned with intricate metal plates across his chest, down his arms and on his legs. Ellie couldn't believe how handsome he looked. He stood tall and proud in a room full of people that obviously did not know how to treat him anymore.

Their eyes met across the room. Loki looked at Ellie intently and then gave her a crooked smile. The familiar tingle went down Ellie's spine as her face flushed. Thor and Jane both saw the exchange between them and smiled at each other. They moved away leaving Ellie to stand alone. Loki stepped out of the corner and strode over to Ellie. Her heart beat faster with every step he took.

"You look very beautiful this evening." Loki said.

Before Ellie could answer they were interrupted.

"Will you introduce me to this young woman, my son?"

Ellie turned to face a very regal looking man dressed similar to Loki but the leather was gold in color along with an intricately patterned eye patch.

"Father, this is Ellie. Jane's friend. Ellie, this is my father, Odin."

"It is a pleasure to meet you my dear. I have heard many great things about you." Odin said placing a kiss upon her hand.

Ellie was about to respond when Frigga joined them. "Oh my dear it is so good to see you up and about. I am glad you could finally join us. It must be dreadfully boring up in your chambers."

"Thank you. It is very nice to be out and with other people. I'm sure everyone was tired of waiting on me." Ellie replied.

"Oh dear, it was our pleasure to help you. Everyone is so thrilled to see you well again." Frigga said as she put her hand on Loki's arm.

Loki looked at his mother. She smiled up at him and all he could do was nod back.

"Come. Dinner is ready to be served. Loki, please escort Ellie to her seat." Frigga said as she placed her arm in Odin's.

Loki held his arm out to Ellie and she tentatively grabbed his forearm. He reached over with his other hand and placed it over hers. Ellie looked up into Loki's eyes as he looked back down at her. The look on his face was intense. She started to feel dizzy. Was it from one of her spells or the depth of his eyes? When he turned her towards the table she nearly fell over her own feet. Loki grabbed her waist and helped her to right herself.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Was there a slight hint of concern in his voice?

Ellie put her hand up to her head and said, "Just a little dizzy."

"Would you like to go back to your chambers?"

"No. I'm alright." Ellie said with a smile. "Let's go eat."

Loki nodded and led her to the table. Ellie had a wonderful time talking with everyone. They were all curious about earth so Jane and Ellie tried their best to explain anything that the guests asked about. Sometimes Thor would have to compare things they might be familiar with to understand what they were talking about. Everyone laughed and enjoyed the stories that the women told. Loki however sat quietly in his seat. Never saying a word and not even managing a smile.

The wine flowed freely and everyone drank their fair share. Ellie however began to feel homesick as they talked about earth. She desperately wanted to go home, but then she glanced over at Loki and her heart started to race as they made eye contact. It was undeniable; Loki looked at her with possessiveness. Realizing this made Ellie flush and then the dizziness came again. She put her hand up to her head and drew her gaze away.

"Are you feeling unwell again?" Loki asked immediately.

The whole table fell silent. It was the first thing he had said since sitting down at the table. Everyone looked between Ellie and Loki.

Jane reached over and placed her hand on Ellie's shoulder. "What's the matter?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just a bit dizzy. Either from all the laughing or just the wine." Ellie replied not to mention the intense surge of want that she just experienced.

Everyone laughed around her.

Ellie smiled at everyone and said, "I should probably go lay down."

"I'll go with you." Jane said.

"No. You stay and have fun. I can find my way."

"Are you sure?" Jane asked sounding reluctant.

"Yes. Stay with everyone and enjoy yourself. I'm just gonna go back to my room and lay down." Ellie stood and said, "If you will excuse me everyone. I had a very pleasant evening."

As she walked along the table everyone wished her well and goodnight.

The moment Ellie stepped out through the hall doors, Loki stood and excused himself. Odin glanced over at Frigga and she smiled after her son.

…

Loki couldn't sit there once Ellie left the feast. She was the only reason he had come in the first place and he had to make sure she made it back to her chambers. Everyone's eyes were on him as he left the room and he did not care. Once he was out of the hall he made sure to stay far enough behind Ellie so she would not know he was following her. She moved slowly up the staircase and would stop occasionally to look at different artifacts that decorated the palace. Ellie also made sure to greet every guard she passed along the way. She was such a kind hearted person and always wanted to make sure everyone felt special just by acknowledging them.

Once she reached the hallway with her chambers, Ellie started to turn the wrong way. Loki debated on whether or not to stop her but he was unsure if he should make her aware of his presence. But he did not debate for long, because she stopped and turned the other way towards her room. Ellie entered her chamber and shut the door. Loki walked over and stood outside her door. He warred with himself whether or not he should go in to see if she was alright. Before Ellie started to feel ill he saw the look on her face as they talked and laughed about earth. He knew that look very well, she was homesick.

….

Ellie walked into her chambers and closed the door. She leaned against it for a few moments unsure of what to do. The bed beckoned to her but she was not really tired. So she walked past it and out onto the balcony. She needed fresh air to cool down her overheated body. The lounge chair was still in the same place she left it near the rail of the balcony so she sat down and leaned onto the railing so she could look out over Asgard. This place was so beautiful but she knew she did not belong here. The people were nice to her but she felt they held back. As if they were unsure about her. They seemed to accept Jane. What made her so different?

Then there was Loki. Her emotions were so confused about him. Ellie could not deny that she was attracted to him. Every time she saw him she got the same tingling feeling. Every time they made eye contact she could not help the blush that would rise to her face. Every time they touched her heart would race and she would secretly long for more. Yet she knew the things that he had done, inadvertently to her, but still done on purpose. Ellie's mind raced. Loki had done so many horrible things, yet since she had met him and since she has been here, he was nothing but kind to her. Gentle.

…..

Loki had to make sure Ellie was alright. He knocked on her chamber door. There was no answer. So he knocked again. Still no answer. He knew she could not have fallen asleep that fast so he worried she had fallen from her dizzy spells. Loki slowly opened the door and peered inside. There was no light in the room but he could see well enough with the light from outside. Ellie was not in the bed so he stepped into the room. The door to the washroom was open so she was not in there. Then he looked to the balcony. There she sat leaning on the rail looking out over the city.

Loki walked over to the doorway. Ellie looked so beautiful sitting there peacefully. When she turned and laid her head on her arms he could see the sadness on her face and the glistening in her eyes that had not yet turned into tears. He remained quiet. He did not want to disturb her but he wondered if she realized he was there. Ellie was only human and had no powers, but did she sense him behind her. Loki wanted to go to her. He felt this pull towards her that was getting harder to fight. She would not want him. After everything that he had done, Ellie could not possibly want a man like him.

As Loki was about to turned and leave, Ellie looked over her shoulder at him with such sadness in her eyes. She seemed to hesitate.

"You can stay if you like." Ellie whispered to hide the sadness in her voice.

Loki walked over to the railing but put some space between them. "You found your way back to your chambers."

All Ellie could do was nodded.

"Are you feeling better now?"

Ellie smiled slightly and nodded. She was afraid if she opened her mouth she would start to cry.

"Did you enjoy the meal this evening?" Loki asked trying to find a way to engage her in conversation, but he could see she was resisting.

So Loki just looked out over Asgard and remained silent for a while. When he finally looked back at Ellie she had a single tear that escaped down her cheek. She tried to look away but Loki crossed the small distance and grabbed her chin. With his thumb he slowly wiped the tear away.

Ellie looked up into Loki's eyes and could see tenderness in them. The first tear she had shed was for the confusion in her heart but the tears that now streamed down her face were for the love she felt for him. Ellie did not want Loki to see her cry so she stood to walk inside but he grabbed her by the arm to prevent her from walking away.

"Do not walk away." He said letting go of her arm.

"I can't….I…" was all she could get out.

Loki grabbed Ellie by the back of her neck and pulled her into him. He gazed into her eyes for a moment and could no longer resist the undeniable urge. He brought his lips down to hers. Ellie immediately melted into his arms so he deepened the kiss. Ellie slid her hands up his chest to entwine in his hair and pull herself closer to him. Loki then dropped his arms down around her waist so he could cradle her closer to his own body.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Loki practically carried Ellie back into her chambers. He stopped right next to the bed and looked down at her. There were so many things that he wanted to say to her. So many things he wanted to do with her, but pleasing her was at the top of his list.

"You look absolutely beautiful tonight. I wanted to say that once more while you are still wearing this lovely gown." Loki said and immediately went back to kissing her lips.

When his mouth moved down to her neck she managed, "You look handsome in whatever that is you are wearing."

Loki laughed against her neck and moved back to her lips. Ellie felt like she was about to explode. Even with all her mixed up emotions this was where she wanted to be. Being held his arms felt so right. She reached up to his chest and tried to figure out how to get him out of the metal and leather he wore. Ellie managed to find a buckle that released the metal plate across his chest, but the coat would not come off until she removed the plates on his arms. She pulled her lips away from his so she could see how the plates worked.

As she turned her head to look he moved his mouth and she moaned as he kissed the sensitive spot right behind her ear. She was starting to lose focus but the plate finally fell away from his arm. He kissed along her neck as she moved to the other arm and that plate fell away. Her whole body shivered as she finally slid the coat off his shoulders. Underneath he only wore a long sleeve shirt. Ellie didn't hesitate and pulled it over his head.

Ellie never felt so in control and so out of control all at the same time. She gazed at his bare chest and then back up to his face. He looked like a god to her and she smiled to herself realizing that he actually was. Ellie knelt down in front of Loki to unbuckle the metal plates attached to his boots. Loki gazed down at her wondering if she was even real. Never had he let someone take control like this. At this moment he would have let her do anything.

Ellie gazed up at him and he grabbed her hands to pull her back up. She smiled at him and moved her hands to the waist of his pants. Loki stopped her and pulled her back into arms. He wanted to kiss her more, feel her lips on his, but when her hands caressed his chest he knew he needed to be closer to her. Skin to skin. Removing his mouth from hers he stepped back to gaze at her. She looked so beautiful in the lavender gown with her hair up, but he wanted it down.

Loki reached up to her hair and began to pull at the little pins hidden inside. She reached up to help him which made the chord holding her dress the center of his attention. As Ellie finished pulling the pins and little clips out, Loki brushed his hands down her neck and across her chest to the knot of the chord. After a moment of fiddling with it the chord fell to the ground.

Now all Loki had to do was unwrap the fabric from Ellie. He undraped it from her shoulders and as he began to pull the fabric, Ellie spun around in front of him. She giggled as she turned and he smiled down at her. Loki's heart raced faster with each turn she made and finally the fabric fell away. Ellie was left standing in a thin white slip. Even though she was still covered, Loki could see through the thin cloth to what lay underneath. Ellie looked up into his eyes with complete trust. He pulled her back into his arms and kissed her with all that he had. Never had a woman looked at him that way. He wrapped his arms around her and continued to kiss her as he kicked off his boots and Ellie slipped off her little shoes.

Ellie threw her arms around Loki's shoulders and was playing with his hair. Loki moved his hands down to her hips and slowly started to bunch the slip up into his hands. Once he reached the hem he pulled it up over her head. There she was for him to see. He looked down at her and nearly lost himself. She was so petite and so beautiful.

Now that Ellie was naked she rubbed her hands from his shoulders, down his chest and to the waist of his pants. She undid the buckle and slowly pushed them down past his hips. Finally all their clothes lay in a pile on the floor. Loki gathered Ellie into his arms and relished the feel of her. Ellie's skin touching his skin. Never before in his life had Loki ever felt so complete.

Grabbing her by the hips, Loki sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Ellie into his lap. She straddled his legs and this put her at the perfect height for him to kiss her lips, neck, shoulders and finally her breasts. Ellie's head fell back as his hands and mouth caressed her chest. She moaned and grabbed his shoulders for support. Loki reached his arms around her back, rolled her over onto the bed and hovered above her.

Ellie brought her hand up to rest over his heart. She looked up into his eyes and opened her mouth to speak but he brought his lips down to hers and silenced her.

Pulling away he said, "No words." And then went right back to kissing her.

Loki pulled Ellie's arms above her head and began to kiss his way down her neck and across her chest. Ellie's eyes followed him as he kissed his way lower. Down her abdomen, across her hips and then all the way to her toes. Glancing up at her with a small smile he rolled her over onto her stomach and began to kiss his way back up her leg, across her back and finally to the nape of her neck and over to that sensitive spot behind her ear.

Ellie could only think of how wonderful this felt. To be cherished. By a god. But now it was her turn. She managed to roll over while still underneath his tall frame. Then while kissing his lips, she managed to roll him over so she could straddle his hips. Loki looked up at her with a surprised smile on his face but did not say a word. Ellie placed her hands at his shoulders and slowly began to feel her way down his chest. She went slowly so she could enjoy the way his muscles tensed under her touch. When her hands reached the tiny hairs around his belly button, Loki lifted his hand to cradle the back of Ellie's neck. He wanted to lay there and linger in this moment forever. The look she had as her hands explored his body was something that he would never forget. But he wanted more. Loki gently pulled Ellie back down to him. She lay across his chest and he was sure she could feel his racing heart. As their lips met he rolled her over once more.

While looking up into Loki's eyes, Ellie's slid her hands down to his hips and they became one for the first time.

…

Ellie felt like she was enveloped in warmth. She did not want to wake up from the amazing dream she was having. But unfortunately all dreams come to an end and everyone must wake up. She didn't remember the little bed in her apartment feeling so comfortable. Slowly flexing her muscles Ellie began to stretch but she quickly realized that quite a few were sore. A quiet moan escaped her lips and the bed moved underneath her. Ellie froze and before she opened her eyes she took notice of her surroundings. This definitely didn't feel like her bed. Ellie lay on her stomach and the bed underneath was warm and smooth. The faint sound of a heartbeat came to her ears. A small smile played across her lips as she remembered the incredible evening she spent with Loki.

Ellie lay draped across Loki's chest with her hand above his shoulder. With her eyes closed she slowly ran her fingers from his shoulder down his arm and back up feeling the smooth skin. Continuing over his shoulder and then down his chest she enjoyed the defined contour. She slowly circled his nipple and then moved to his side and down his ribs.

"That tickles!" Loki said as he jumped slightly under her.

Ellie giggled, "Sorry!"

Opening her eyes, she looked up at Loki's face and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Good morning." He said as his lips came to meet hers.

Loki kissed her until she was breathless. "Good morning back," she could barely whisper.

They lay in each other's arms and Ellie did not want to move and break the blissful spell. Loki's fingers traced patterns up and down her back. Her eyes slowly began to close and she felt like she could fall back into a peaceful sleep when there was a knock at the door.

Ellie bolted upright and looked at the door. She stared at it for a few moments. When the knock came again she turned to look at Loki and he lay against the pillows with a look of complete contentment.

"Hold on." Ellie called out as she climbed out of bed.

Loki put his hands behind his head as he watched Ellie's naked form jump out of bed and look frantically for something to put on. When she looked over at him, he gave her a mischievous smile, and she blushed from her head practically all the way to her toes.

Stopping right next to the bed, she put her hands on her hips. "What?"

"You look absolutely breathtaking."

Her blush deepened.

At a loss for words Ellie looked down, and then she bent down and picked up his shirt. Ellie slipped it on over her head. It fell halfway down her thighs and she had to pull the sleeves up to get her hands out but she loved how it smelled like him. Ellie softly padded her way to the door and pulled it open far enough for her to peek her tiny face out. There was no one there, but a cart with a tray of food was left in the hallway. She leaned further out the door and looked up and down the hallway before she stepped out. Grabbing the tray she quickly stepped back in before someone could see her dressed in nothing but his shirt.

Ellie set the tray on an end table and pulled it right next to the bed. Climbing back onto the bed, she sat putting Loki between her and the tray and draped her legs over his.

"We must have missed breakfast. Jane must have thought I needed some rest after dinner last night and decided to let me be. It was nice of someone to bring me some though. There's plenty for us to share." Ellie said.

Loki smiled to himself thinking how innocent she acted. It was no secret that he had spent the night in her room. Everyone watched him follow her out of the hall last night. And if he was not found in his chambers this morning would everyone assume he was here? The tray was purposefully left outside of the room as not to disturb them. He was sure of it.

"I'm hungry." Ellie said and reached over to the tray.

Her arm slid across his chest and he watched her try to decide what to eat first. She settled on a piece of bread to start with. Sitting back her arm brushed across his chest again. Ellie broke off a small piece of bread and started to eat.

Loki could not stop watching her and thinking how lovely she looked. Her blond hair was a mess from their activities and her lips were slightly swollen from him kissing her all night long. Ellie was perfect in his eyes.

"Aren't you hungry?" she asked.

"Yes." Loki answered and pulled her into his arms.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"Loki is with Ellie then?" Odin asked.

"Yes. The guards confirmed that he followed her back to her chambers after he left the hall." Thor replied. "He never returned to his own."

"Excellent." Frigga said. "She is such a lovely young woman. I hope this works."

"Have faith my queen." Odin said.

…..

Ellie forced what looked like a grape into Loki's mouth. At this rate they would both starve if she didn't make him eat something. She had poured some water from a pitcher and he drank that greedily.

"What are we going to do today?" Ellie asked in between bites.

"I do not want to leave these chambers." Loki said while chewing on the fruit.

Ellie smirked at him while she sat between his legs, face to face, with her legs draped over his hips. "Sounds fine by me."

They ate in silence for a moment but Ellie thought this would be a good time to sit and learn more about one another.

"So what was it like to grow up in a palace?" she asked.

Loki laid back into the pillows and let out a big sigh. He was unsure if he wanted to delve into this subject. "It was wonderful. Our parents doted over us as we grew. Thor and I had many teachers that would see to our education. Our mother would try to drill etiquette into us, but Thor and I would always find a way to make fools of ourselves. Mother would scold us for our behavior, but would always be hiding a smile. And Father, well, he would teach us how to be men. All through growing up he would teach us what qualities we needed to be good men and what it meant to rule."

"Thor and I always had other ideas though. Whenever we could we would find some kind of mischief to get into. Many times we would have to be rescued as children when we would go out to practice our fighting skills on one poor unsuspecting creature or another. Mother would always worry over our injuries and Father would lecture us on being careless. But when Mother was not around he would teach us what we should have done differently. Being a child in this place was always an adventure."

Loki felt that was a harmless enough description. As he thought about it, it was actually the truth. His parents were never overbearing and they truly did raise them as equals. However, Thor was their biological son and older.

"What was it like to grow up on Earth?"

"Nothing as extravagant as this, but my mother enjoyed life and made everything fun. She would take me everywhere with her. She always said that you never knew when something good would happen, so do whatever you can and make the most of it." Ellie's eyes sparkled as she remembered her mother. "We would take short day trips to different places and she would always take pictures of us there. For my ninth birthday my mother drove us to California for the weekend. We spent two days on the beach just playing in the water and building sand castles. It was the best birthday I ever had. I used to have the scrapbook she made with all our trip pictures but, I forgot it when I moved to New York."

Ellie stopped talking and looked a little sad.

"How did your mother die?" Loki asked reaching for her hand.

"Shortly after that trip my mother started to feel ill. She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer. The doctors told her she had six months to live, but she barely lasted six weeks. It spread so fast. Bill was beside himself. He had no idea what to do, so he started drinking." Ellie paused and shifted. "I heard my mother talking to him one night that he needed to stop and focus on me. That I was gonna need him to help me through this since he would be all that I had left. He promised her he would. Three days later she died at home in her bed with Bill by her side. I was at school and he had to tell me when I got home and we consoled each other. He was good until after the funeral and then the alcohol was the only thing that would help him cope."

"That must have been hard for you." Loki said as he slipped his fingers between hers.

"I didn't realize how hard it was. I learned to deal with things till I was about thirteen. Then I fell in with the wrong crowd." Ellie said, with a disgusted laugh. "I was easily influenced because I was just looking for someone to pay attention to me. I would get in trouble at school, nothing big to start, but as I got older my friends and I discovered drugs and we stopped caring about the important stuff."

"Drugs?" Loki interrupted.

"Oh, um, they are chemicals that people take to give them a buzz or make them feel like everything was okay. It's stuff people use to escape from what makes them feel bad."

"Oh. Is this good or bad?" Loki asked confused.

"It's bad. The stuff my friends and I started to do was bad. We would start to steal from people to get money to buy it. Cody, you remember him?"

"Yes." Loki obviously tensed and a hint of anger flared in his eyes when she said his name.

"Well, he was the ring leader of our group and one night he went and robbed someone's home. He came back to our meeting place. What he didn't know was the cops knew it was him and followed him. We all got arrested and thrown in jail. Bill came and got me out. That night when we got home, Bill just started screaming at me about all the trouble I had gotten into and that he didn't know why he had to get stuck with me. I think I started to wonder if he really was my dad. Who would say that to their child? He called me all sorts of names and when I started to argue with him, he…" Ellie stopped talking and brought her hand to her cheek.

"He struck you, didn't he?" Loki asked.

"Yes. That was the first time he hit me."

Loki felt absolutely no guilt for having struck Bill down where he stood. That man had not deserved the quick death he got in Loki's mind, but he was glad he had done it. This brought Cody back to the forefront. She had mentioned his name and he remembered something Cody had said that night.

"That night in the street, that man," Loki said with a growl, "said something to you that made you feel distressed. What happened?"

"After Bill started hitting me I would stay out as long as it would take him to pass out and I would sneak into the house. Then I would make sure I was up early enough before he would wake up. I never got much sleep and I was always tired. One night a group of us went out and had a bonfire in the desert. Cody brought his stash and someone else got their hands on a case of beer. We partied for a while and I got pretty drunk. I was tired and I felt Bill should have been passed out by then, so Cody said he would drive me home. I don't exactly remember the ride home, but when I awoke the next morning Bill was standing over me. My clothes were torn in spots. I just tried to remember what happened in the car. Bill started yelling at me, calling me names, saying that I was useless. We got into one of our usual arguments that ended in me with a black eye."

Loki sat silent. He was unsure of what to say or do. Did he comfort her? He did not know what to say to make her feel better. Yet she did not seem to be upset.

"Well, all of that stuff made me stop and realize I needed to choose another path and fast. So I stopped hanging out with Cody and my other so called friends and started to pay attention to my school work. I realized I was actually pretty smart and I liked science so all my grades got better and I made it into a good college. Unfortunately Bill's house was the only place I had to go home to until….." Ellie shut her mouth before she said too much. She was unsure of whether or not she should bring up what happened in New Mexico.

Loki looked at this little human and realized they had more in common than he could have imagined. There was more than just the deep physical attraction. Ellie was smart and funny. Most importantly, they were both lost souls.

Loki looked into Ellie's face and realized this was the time to get this conversation out of the way. "I know how it feels. I too, have lost control of who I was. My parents raised Thor and I the same, never treating one better than the other, but I lost sight of that. For me, Thor cast a large shadow that I never seemed to overcome. He did not do anything deliberately, but I felt I always came in second. As we grew, so did my jealousy. I tried to prove myself the better son, but I failed. Miserably. I only hurt the ones I love the most." Loki said as he raised his hand to her cheek. "Never in my life do I want to see again the pain on my families face or the suffering you experienced. I am now beginning to realize the man I wish to be. The man I wish I could have been all along. A man worthy to deserve you."

Ellie smiled up into Loki's face. "If things would have been done differently, we would never have met."

….

Loki and Ellie relocated out onto the balcony. She lay in the lounge chair wearing his shirt again. Loki had put on his pants and was telling an animated story about a time, as children, that he and Thor had gone out to fight some hideous creature she could not remember the name of. She watched his facial expressions as he moved around the balcony replaying the whole encounter. Ellie watched him intently and thought to herself how happy he seemed. Remembering old times seemed to bring out his inner child. Half the things he mentioned in the story were foreign words to her, but she got that they were around eleven or twelve and went out to fight this odd creature, but it backed them into a corner. Loki tried to use his magic, but it was still too new. Eventually their father came to their rescue.

Magic? Oh yes. Ellie almost forgot that Loki had magical powers. When Loki had finished with his story he walked over to the rail in front of her and grabbed his cup to take a drink.

"What magic can you do?" Ellie asked.

Loki looked down at her with a sly smile. She stared right back at him, but then felt arms wrap around her chest and lips kiss the back of her neck. Ellie flung herself out of the lounge and turned around to see Loki smiling at her. Loki? She turned again to see Loki standing behind her in his original spot. She looked back and forth a few times in complete confusion. Then the first one disappeared.

"What just happened?" Ellie asked, feeling like her head was spinning.

"I do not know how to explain it better than I can duplicate myself," he replied as he stepped back around her.

"So, you can be in multiple places at once?" she tried to understand as she sat back down.

"No. There is still only one of me, but I can project the image of myself into multiple places."

"Multiple places?" Ellie said sounding surprised.

"Would you like me to show you?" The sly smile returned to his lips.

"No!" she said quickly holding up her hands. "I mean no thanks. That first time was enough for me."

Loki laughed and sat down beside her. "There are many other things I can do. But we will leave that for another time."

Loki placed his hand at the nape of Ellie's neck and drew her in for another kiss when there was a knock at the door. He pulled away to look in her eyes. "I will get it." He stood and walked to the door.

Ellie followed him back inside. She figured someone was just leaving another tray of food. It had to be going on dinner time. They had spent the whole day in her chambers talking, laughing and loving each other. She was pleasantly sore and content to never let it end.

When Loki opened the door, his mother stood on the other side. He stepped back and looked down at himself. He was only wearing his pants. Like Ellie, he had only expected someone to have left them a tray.

"May I come in?" Frigga asked.

Loki stepped aside to let his mother pass. She gave him a knowing smile and stepped into the room. Ellie stood next to the bed wearing only Loki's shirt.

"I am sorry to disturb you. I wanted to make sure you were feeling well. We had not seen you all day." Frigga turned to Loki. "But I see my son is taking care of you."

Ellie blushed deeper than she ever thought possible and was at a loss for words.

"Dinner will be ready shortly." Frigga continued. "If you are feeling up to it, please join us. It will only be a small family affair this evening."

Frigga smiled at Ellie and turned to leave the room. Loki still stood by the door. She stopped and put her hand over his heart. Frigga kissed him on the cheek and left the room quietly closing the door behind her.

…..

Loki gathered his things to go back to his chambers and get ready for dinner. But before he left, he gathered Ellie into his arms and kissed her goodbye leaving her breathless. Once she was alone she went into the bathroom to start getting ready. She pulled his shirt off over her head, but could still smell him on her skin. Ellie loved that. Looking in the mirror she saw what a mess her hair had become, yet brushing it did not help. There were still kinks and it wanted to lay the wrong way, so she quickly jumped into the tub to wash it. Once in her robe, she walked out into her room towel drying her hair the best that she could and came face to face with Jane.

"Well I'm glad to see you are up and around today." Jane said.

"I'm feeling much better thanks." Ellie replied with a sarcastic tone.

"I would hope so." Jane smiled.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ellie asked.

"Oh, come on Ellie. You are positively glowing. I watched Loki leave right after you last night and Thor couldn't find him all day."

"He just came to make sure I made it back to my room and that I was alright." Ellie said.

"Eeeelllliiiieeee. Talk to me." Jane pried.

"Yes. He came to check on me last night. I was a bit sad last night and he kept me company."

Jane looked at her.

"Alright! He spent the night with me!" Ellie finally burst.

"I knew it!" Jane said. "He was with you all day too?"

"Yes," Ellie groaned out loud.

"Oh Ellie, I am so happy for you!" Jane nearly burst. "This is wonderful!"

Jane walked over to Ellie and gave her a big hug. Ellie could tell something was up. She had a strange feeling about it for a while now. Between the way Jane and Frigga acted, she knew there had to be an ulterior motive.

"Jane. Why am I here?"

Jane was taken aback by the question. "Well, if you would have stayed on Earth, you would have died. Thor suggested bringing you here to try and save you," she stammered. "I would have done anything! So I had him bring you here and it seemed to have worked." Jane smiled.

"Yes. It obviously did. But are you sure there was no other reason to bring me here?"

Jane stayed silent. Ellie looked at her and knew she didn't want to say anything else.

"Jaaaaaaaane! I know there is more to this story. Please tell me." Ellie implored.

"There is no more to the story. We are all just glad to see you are better and now you seemed to have found a bit of happiness with…." Jane stopped.

That was it! "I know what he's done."

"How? Odin forbid…." Jane stopped again.

"Jane, tell me what the hell is going on!" Ellie practically screamed. "I have the right to know!"

"Alright. After the battle in New York, Loki was captured and Thor was taking him to a secure location via the hospital. You were being brought in at the same time, I guess, and Loki saw you. Thor said his demeanor changed completely. He said it was as though the light went out. Thor didn't understand the change because he didn't know it was you, and even if he did, he never would have thought Loki would know who you were." Jane sucked in a breath. "It wasn't until they were back in Asgard and Loki was locked away that the pieces started to fall together. Heimdall informed Odin on what had happened last year in New Mexico and how he had gone looking for you before he even continued with his plan in New York. Odin ordered that you be brought here."

"Why?"

"He is different with you Ellie. Even I can see that."

"Why was I brought here Jane?" Ellie asked starting to sound desperate.

"Odin and Frigga want to save their son. There is a connection between you and Loki. They can see it and the change in him." Jane added timidly. "Odin believes that you are the key to taming Loki's madness."

Ellie could not believe what just came out of Jane's mouth. She was brought here to calm Loki's demons. "Wait! What?!" she spit out. "I'm here to be used?"

"It's not like that. I was unsure about this at first when I finally learned all the facts. I just wanted you brought here to be saved. Then I got to know everyone," Jane paused, "including Loki."

"I can't believe this." Ellie said shaking her head. She sat down on the bed and put her head in her hands. Confusion could not even begin to describe how Ellie felt at that moment. Before the amazing night they had spent together, Ellie had been homesick and conflicted about her feelings toward Loki. For some reason she had looked past that. Being near him brought out a side of her she had never experienced before. Love. Now she finds out that his family is using her. What part does Loki have to play in this?

"Ellie…" Jane started.

"I need to be alone Jane."

"Just let me….." Jane tried again.

"Please, Jane." Ellie said bringing her fingers up to her temples.

"Alright then." Jane said and left the room.

Shortly after Jane left, Kara knocked on Ellie's door to help her dress. She debated whether or not she should go down for dinner. Now that she knew his families intentions, she did not want to face them. They all knew she had spent the night with Loki. Could she look Loki in the eye? Her mind reeled. Maybe this dinner would give her the opportunity to give them a piece of her mind for trying to use her. Then maybe she could go home. Ellie had just started to make a life for herself and she would not be taken from that for the purpose of someone else.

Trying not to be rude, she had Kara quickly help her dress. She felt that Loki would come back for her and if he got near she would most likely lose her focus. Once she was dressed, she took a quick look in the mirror. This time Kara had dressed her in green. A similar green to the one Loki wore. Ellie grumbled to herself.

"Is something wrong Ellie?" Kara asked.

"Nothing, it looks great," Ellie replied with more enthusiasm than she felt, not wanting to hurt her feelings.

Ellie did not have time to do her hair. It had finally dried so she quickly ran a brush through it and it lay down her back in long blond waves. Down would have to do. Ellie left her room and made her way down the stairs hoping dinner was in the same room.

Of course, it was not. She looked around for a few minutes when she ran into one of the men she had seen talking with Thor when that big robot thing came to her town.

"You look like you may be lost." The man said.

"Actually, I am." Ellie replied. "I am meeting everyone for dinner."

"Ah. I know the way. I am headed there myself. Shall I escort you?"

"That would be lovely. Thank you. By the way, my name is Ellie."

"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Fandral. This way." He said as he put his arm out.

Ellie placed her arm in his and he turned her back in the direction she had come. They talked as they moved towards a big seating area outside. Ellie thought how charming Fandral was and that he must be a favorite of all the ladies.

…

Loki quickly cleaned himself up and changed for dinner. This was the happiest he had felt since as far back as he could remember. Ellie was changing him. He could feel it deep down into his soul. The way she had looked at him last night, how that made him feel, could not be explained in words. He felt like he could face anything if she was with him.

Loki put his coat back on and walked out of his chambers. He wanted to escort Ellie down to dinner. Have her on his arm as they walked into the room with his family. Is that not what people in love do? Loki made a detour to the garden. Flowers may be a nice touch, he thought to himself. He had seen men do this, but had always thought it a foolish tradition. When he finally reached her room she was not there. Why would she have gone down without him? He had thought she would wait for him. Feeling a little uneasy, Loki looked at the bed they had shared the night before. Had he said something to upset her? He could not think of a thing. So he took the flowers and laid them around on top of the bed and left.

When Loki arrived out on the veranda for dinner Ellie was not there yet. Frigga smiled at him and motioned for him to sit.

"Where is Ellie?" Jane asked.

"She was not in her room when I went to escort her down." Loki said sounding annoyed.

"Well, she might have lost her way." Frigga said. "Maybe someone should go look for her."

Loki stood and was about to step away from the table when Ellie walked outside. Anger rose in Loki's chest when he saw her arm on Fandral's. His magic began to tingle in his fingers.

"Look what I found lost in the palace." Fandral said.

Ellie blushed and said, "I suppose I shouldn't venture out on my own in such a large place."

She released Fandral's arm and moved down the opposite side of the table as Loki and sat down next to Jane. She knew exactly where he was sitting without even looking. Ellie could feel him.

"You look much better today, my dear." Frigga said.

"I feel much better, thank you." Ellie replied trying to avoid looking at Loki.

At that point the food was delivered to the table. Loki watched Ellie as people moved around placing big platters of food. She was avoiding his gaze. Why? People fell into conversation around him. Loki's good mood from a short time ago was quickly starting to turn into frustration.

Everyone talked, laughed and ate. However, Ellie remained quiet and so did Loki. She listened to the conversations around her and tried to avoid looking at Loki. Ellie would catch a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye. She could see the intent look on his face that would rarely waiver from her direction. Her mind immediately remembered his touch and the way it felt to be in his arms.

"I was wondering," Ellie interrupted before she could stop herself, "now that I am feeling better, if someone could take me home."

The conversation came to a halt as everyone stopped to look at her. Loki nearly flew out of his chair to object, but Ellie continued.

"I have to get back to school and my job. There is so much going on back home right now that I have to finish."

No one said a word for a moment. Loki was speechless at this point. Ellie wanted to go home? After what happened just the night before. He was left dumbfounded.

"My dear, you are more than welcome to stay as long as you like." Frigga finally said.

"Thank you. I appreciate everything everyone has done to help me. I will never be able to pay back the kindness that you have shown me, but I really need to get home." Ellie said lowering her head.

"Ellie….." Jane started to say.

But Ellie didn't give her the chance to finish. "I can't be that person!" she said to Jane. Ellie finally looked at Loki. A tear came to her eye and she rushed away from the table, off the veranda and out into the adjoining garden.

Frigga stood to follow her, but Odin said, "Sit, my lady. Give her a moment to herself."

Loki stared after her and could not understand what just took place. She disappeared into the bushes. Ellie wanted to leave. But why? For once he was unsure of what to do. Then he stood from the table and followed her.

…..

Ellie ran away from the veranda before she could cry. After a few minutes of getting lost among the beautiful plants, she finally came upon a beautiful fountain. She sat on the edge and looked into the water. There was strange fish swimming that reminded her of Koi. They clustered around her looking for food she supposed.

The tears silently fell down her cheeks and into the water. She had told them. She got the words out of her mouth that she wanted to go home, but why did she feel so bad. Home was not as appealing as she made it sound because Loki would not be there. She loved him. She knew that. Yet she was not going to be used as a way to keep him in line. Could she even do that? Ellie knew all the horrors that Loki caused by his actions and that still put her on edge deep down. For all she knew he could continue down that path again. Going home was the only option.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Loki finally found Ellie sitting by the fountain. She sat about twenty feet away looking into the water and he could see the tears sliding down her cheeks. He was angry with her, but wanted to know why she really wanted to leave.

"So you have made up your mind to leave?" Loki asked with no emotion in his voice.

Ellie did not even look up. "I have to," was her only reply.

"Why?"

"I have responsibilities at home," Ellie paused. "I have already been gone for too long." She pushed herself to say, "People will begin to think that I'm dead if I'm gone much longer." She cringed but kept her eyes on the water.

Loki knew she did not have family waiting for her. He had seen to that. Jane was the closest thing she had, and she was here. "Why not stay? There is so much to learn and do here."

Ellie mustered up her courage and looked Loki in the eye. "There is nothing for me here."

Loki took a step back as though had been slapped in the face. It took him a moment to gather himself. "But I thought what we shared last night….."

Ellie closed the distance between them and said, "I will not be someone's pawn." She continued past him and headed back to the palace.

Loki was left standing alone, stunned. What did she mean by pawn?

…..

"I'm sorry." Jane said. "This is all my fault. I was talking with Ellie earlier and I must have let too much slip. She knows why she was brought here and I don't think she was happy about it. I'm so sorry."

"Do not worry Jane. This is not your fault." Thor said. "It is ours. We never should have placed either of you in this position."

Frigga got up and walked to Jane. "Thor is right. We had hoped that Ellie would help heal Loki's heart. We did not take into consideration what ill would come from our meddling."

"All will work out in the end." Odin said and no more.

Shortly after, Loki stormed out of the garden and strode directly to Odin.

"What game are you playing?" Loki asked letting the anger ripple through his voice.

Odin looked at Loki without saying a word.

"Why did Ellie call herself a pawn?" Loki practically yelled. "What are you up to?"

"Brother, do not be angry with father. It was all of us." Thor said while holding Jane in his arms.

Loki slowly turned to Thor with a glare in his eyes. "What?!"

Frigga walked over to Loki and put her hands on his arms turning him to face her. "We learned of how you cared for Ellie and decided to bring her here in hopes of healing your heart. All of us care and love you so much." Frigga brushed a hand on his cheek. "We wanted the Loki back that used to laugh and play pranks on everyone. You do not realize how much we missed you when you were gone. It did not feel like home without you."

Loki looked at his mother. He did not know how to feel or what to think.

"It was so pleasing to see you two together." Frigga continued. "I could see how much you cared for her and how much she loves you by a simple glance she would send your way."

"You think she loves me?" Loki uttered sounding surprised. "She has never said as much to me and now I will never know."

Loki left the veranda and went back to his chambers. He was so angry with his family for meddling and so hurt by the fact that Ellie could just leave him. Sitting was not an option, so he paced. From one side of his chambers to the other, he paced. When that was not far enough, his pacing included the balcony. What was he to do? The all too familiar anger began to build inside of him.

…..

Ellie couldn't return right back into the palace because she did not want to go back to her chambers. After Loki was out of sight she turned to walk through the gardens. Since she would be going home soon she wanted to see a little more of the palace. Exploring the gardens was good for calming her chaotic mind. She had told Loki there was nothing to keep her here and deep in her heart she knew that it was a lie. The look on his face when the words left her mouth haunted her. He looked as if his heart had been torn out.

Loki's family wanted to use her as a way to keep him under control. Was control even the right word? She thought about the love that shown in Frigga's eyes when she would look at her son. Maybe she was judging them too harshly. Heading back to her chambers, Ellie's mind was set. She would go home as soon as possible. No matter how much she loved Loki.

…

"It is almost time to make our move." Said Helbindi.

"Loki is back in Asgard. Now is the time." Said Byleistr.

"Is the army assembled?"

"They will be ready. We will have our revenge on all of Asgard."

….

Loki could take it no longer. He left his chamber and headed straight to Ellie's. He knew she would not want to talk to him he would talk to her face to face if it killed him. When he reached her chambers he paused. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm his erratic nerves and then pounded on her door. He could hear movement on the other side.

"Ellie let me in!"

There was no answer.

"Ellie please let me in." Loki said trying to soften his voice. "I want to speak with you."

"I have nothing to say," came Ellie's soft voice from the other side of the door.

"Well, than at least open the door and tell me to my face that you want me to leave and I will go," Loki said trying to sound defeated.

After a few moments, Ellie slowly opened the door. It was all he needed. Loki left his projection in front of her as he used his magic to jump behind her.

Ellie looked at his projection, "I have nothing more to say. So please go." Loki then made the projection act as though to object, but Ellie held up her hand and pointed for him to go. The projection looked angry but turned and left. Ellie watched "him" leave, but when she closed the door and turned around she came face to face with Loki. She practically jumped out of her skin.

"Don't do that!" Ellie said breathlessly holding her hand to her chest.

"Well you left me no choice. I have to speak with you." Loki replied.

"There is nothing to talk about. So go." Ellie turned to open the door again.

"There is plenty to talk about." Loki said grabbing her arm to stop her. "Why are you leaving?"

"I have responsibilities at home." Ellie said.

"You have already said that." Loki said getting angry. "What has you running home so quickly now?"

"I can't stay here anymore. I don't belong." Ellie said starting to get irritated. She didn't have to explain herself to him.

"You are not the only one who feels as if they do not belong here!" Loki said getting louder.

"How can you say that? You grew up here!" Ellie yelled as she turned around.

"Because I am not of Asgard!" Loki burst. "My father took me from the frost giants when I was a baby. I did not find out until I was grown and that is what started me down the path that I regret the most!"

Ellie was taken aback by his admission but she was full swing in this argument. She was not going to let him win or bully her into admitting something she wasn't ready to admit.

"Well, maybe if you would have stopped and thought about how your actions would affect everyone, maybe you would not have to regret them!"

This time, Loki was taken aback. He went to open his mouth but could not think of a reply. She was right and Ellie stood with a smug smile on her face.

Loki couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed Ellie by the arms, pulled her to his chest and crushed his mouth to hers.

Ellie was taken by surprise, but remembered she needed to stay strong. She tried with all her might to push him away, but Loki would not give up. He held her tighter. As his mouth claimed hers, the smell of him overwhelmed her. She was lost. Ellie could not deny it any longer. Loki was the one reason she wanted to stay. Ellie grabbed Loki's face and threw herself back into the kiss. She loved him.

Her body felt consumed by him and all rational thought escaped her. Before she realized what she was doing, Ellie pushed his face away and looked up into his eyes. He looked back at her trying to catch his breath.

"I love you." She whispered. Ellie felt horrified that she admitted it out loud and waited for his rejection.

The look that passed over his face was one of surprise that turned into shock and then finally ended on joy. He reached up and placed his hands on either side of her face.

"And I love you." He whispered back.

Ellie looked up at Loki trying to process that he just returned her declaration of love. Their eyes locked and she could see a deep twinkle of honesty. All she could to was pull his face back down to hers. They wrapped their arms around each other and kissed with all the feeling they had. Loki backed Ellie up until the backs of her legs hit the bed. She stumbled but Loki pulled her back to him. Ellie looked up and Loki's eyes told her how much he wanted her. They wasted no time and practically tore each other's clothes off. Loki playfully pushed Ellie down onto the bed and flower petals sprang into the air and floated down like snowflakes. She looked around and saw that the bed was covered.

Loki stood above her and thought how beautiful she looked lying naked amongst the flowers. When she gazed up at him with her bright blue eyes he couldn't wait to join her.

….

Ellie lay on her stomach with her arms above her head and her face turned towards him. Loki lay on his side next to her, the entire length of her petite form touching his. His head rested on his arm as he looked down at her beautiful face. Watching her sleep was the closest he felt to peace. What his family had done, though their intentions were good, still made him angry because they almost drove Ellie away. She had made her intentions clear. Home was where she wanted to be, but now that he had her, Loki would not give her up without a fight. And fight him she tried. Ellie was holding her own in that argument but Loki knew he had to cheat a little bit.

By that one act of kissing her until she was breathless, he got her to admit that she loved him. When those words came out of her mouth, Loki felt like a king. An actual king. He wanted to be worthy of Ellie. The only thing he could think of was how much he loved her and he wanted to say it back. Over and over again. Loki managed to whisper it back but then he had to show her repeatedly how much he loved her.

They made love over and over throughout the night, amongst the flowers he had left the night before. They could not get enough of each other. Looking at her sleeping face, he thought of how she looked, laid out with the flowers surrounding her. Right then, her hair was flared across the pillow in golden waves. Loki picked up a flower that still lay on the bed after their night of intense play. Slowly he began to rub the petals across Ellie's shoulders and then down her back.

Ellie lay quietly just enjoying the feel of the silken flower petals sliding against her skin. She enjoyed all the attention that Loki paid to making her use her senses. Especially touch. Ellie thought back to the night before and how he made her feel. Not only her mind but her body as well. Finally admitting to Loki that she loved him, had lifted the heavy weight from her shoulders. Hearing that he loved her back sent her emotions soaring. Ellie knew she was made to love him. They were made for each other.

Loki was different when he was with her. Ellie was beginning to see that now. She had heard the stories of the horrors that he had caused, but with her he showed love. Uninhibited love. Ellie slowly opened her eyes and looked up into Loki's face as he watched his hand trace the flower over her skin. He looked content. Ellie smiled to herself as she realized that his family was right. They wanted their son back and she finally understood that she was the key. The love that he felt for her calmed his inner demons. Loving him was what she wanted, but she wanted so much more.

"That feels nice." Ellie said breaking the silence.

Loki looked down at her and smiled. "Good morning." He leaned down and kissed her.

Ellie looked up into Loki's eyes and mustered her courage. "Loki, we need to talk."

The content look on his face froze and then vanished all together. He pulled back a bit and apprehensively asked, "Yes?"

"I am so thankful for everything everyone has done for me and I want to stay here with you, but I really want to finish my education."

"No." Loki said quickly.

"Wait. Just listen to me…" Ellie tried to say as he sat up.

"It is impossible. I love you and I will not let you leave now. You belong here with me and I will not let you…"

Ellie quickly threw herself over Loki pushing him back down on the bed and straddled his hips. She grabbed his face and planted a huge kiss on his lips to silence him. Once she was certain that she had stopped his rant, she pulled her lips away. When she seemed to have his attention she continued.

"Loki, I love you."

He smiled and relaxed back into the pillows.

"I want nothing more than to stay here with you. I cannot think of anything that would make me happier, but I really want to finish school. I only have a year left and then I am finished. Then I can come and stay here with you as long as you will have me." Ellie finally got it out.

Loki lay there looking at her for a moment. He wanted to argue with her. Let her know he never wanted to let her go and going back to Earth would never happen. He stopped and thought about what she had said the night before. How his actions would affect others. Loki was learning quickly it was better to not argue with her. Ellie wanted this and he wanted her to be happy. How would he live without her for an entire year?

"You know that I cannot come to Earth to be with you." It was all he could think to say to her.

"I know." Ellie sounded upset. "But I will come back here as often as I can to visit. I need to do this Loki. I have worked so hard to get where I am and I can't quit now."

Loki nodded his head. "I understand. This is important to you, so it is important to me. We will make this work somehow. I promise."

They spent the next hour just being together before they dressed to finally go get something to eat.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Everyone sat around the table eating in relative silence. Ellie could feel the tension in the room. Even though Loki didn't argue with her anymore about her decision, she knew full well that he was still upset. He just didn't vocalize it.

"My dear, are you sure this is what you want?" Frigga asked.

"Mother," Loki said warningly.

"I am sorry dear," she said turning to Loki. "I just want Ellie to know how much we want her to stay with us."

"I am sure she knows, Mother."

"Alright, I will stop." Frigga said holding her hands up.

"I'll come back and visit as often as I can." Ellie said. "I need to get back and finish. Everyone probably thinks I'm dead."

Loki flinched when Ellie said that.

"We look forward to your return," Frigga said.

….

Ellie sat in her little apartment feeling very lonely. She had been home for almost three weeks. There had been no word from Loki or anyone else. Jane had come back with her and went back to her research but she called every day. Ellie tried to slip back into her life, but it wasn't easy. All sorts of groups came and questioned her about what happened after she disappeared from the hospital. SHIELD was the most persistent. Ellie told them how Thor had come to take her back to Asgard to heal her at Jane's request. They kept asking her questions about how Loki was being punished for his crimes but Ellie insisted that she knew nothing about that. For obvious reasons, she could not admit the truth.

The devastation to New York was extreme. Ellie had not realized the extent of the damage the Chitauri had caused when Loki brought the army in. For the first week, she had begun to reconsider her feelings towards Loki. She was surrounded by the hate that everyone felt towards him and found it very hard not to be influenced. It was a constant battle every day with her feelings. The second week Ellie fell into self-loathing. She hated herself for being mad at Loki and then battled with herself because she loved him. Finally in the third week, she fell into acceptance of her love for him. Standing firm on the basis that he had done horrible things, but he had changed. Loki could still be stubborn and impulsive, even mischievous, but he loved her.

Getting back into the swing of school was no easy task for Ellie. She had been gone for almost a month and making up for lost time took all her time and energy. Amidst her emotional rollercoaster, Ellie worked hard and managed to get herself back to where she needed to be in her schoolwork. The internship was a whole other matter. Her fellow interns all wanted to know about where she had been and how they had healed her. Even though she had lab work to do, all the other interns kept asking her about Asgard and Thor. Had she met the other Avengers. Was Loki locked in a cage or been executed. After the first day back she was already sick and tired of all the questions. If people didn't stop she knew she was going to have a complete breakdown. Whenever anyone brought up Loki, she would feel a small pang in her chest.

So after three weeks she was definitely missing Loki.

….

Every day at the same time, Loki would go to Heimdall and ask him to look in on Ellie. Every day the answer was one of the same. Ellie was working, studying or taking a nap. To Loki it seemed as though she went right back to her old life as if she had never spent any time with him at all. He missed her terribly and could not stand having her so far away. Even though they had only been truly together for a few days, knowing she was not somewhere in the palace made his heart ache. Knowing he could not just go to her made his body ache.

"Calm yourself, brother!" Thor finally yelled one night at dinner.

Loki kept making things move on the table or disappear altogether. He was feeling restless and did not know what to do with himself. His family had welcomed him back with open arms and tried to make him feel as though nothing had happened, but now that Ellie was gone, Loki was finding it harder to forget the past. The days were long and he was quickly running out of ideas to entertain himself.

"I am sorry," Loki mumbled.

"Tomorrow we will go hunting," Thor said. "You are in need of a distraction. Let us go and hunt some bilgeshnipe. Hopefully that will bring you out of this melancholy."

Loki looked at Thor in surprise. He did not expect his brother to make such a suggestion but was happy for it. They had not hunted together since they were young. A hunting trip always led them into some kind of trouble and Loki welcomed it.

…..

"Loki has found a woman," said Helbindi.

"A woman?" questioned Byleistr.

"Yes. And she is now on earth."

"Hmmmm. Now there is even more pain we can inflict on the outcast."

"An eye for an eye," Helbindi nodded with approval.

…..

Ellie sat in the lab late one night trying to catch up on her data entry. She never seemed to get any of her work done when others were around. Not only was the work mindless but it helped to keep her mind off of Loki as long as others didn't keep distracting her. Glancing at the clock she practically flew out of her chair when she realized how late it was. It was almost twelve thirty and she still had to walk home. Ellie had an early class and she didn't know if she would be able to drag herself out of bed in the morning if she didn't get home soon.

Shutting down her computer, Ellie gathered her things and started to shut all the lights off. After locking the lab door, she made her way downstairs and outside. It was later than normal for her to make this walk home. Ellie glanced around and then started making her way down the block. She felt like something was off. Was it just the late hour that made her nervous?

Six blocks was all she had to walk home, but tonight it seemed so much longer. Ellie had this creepy feeling crawling up her spine. Moving her feet faster, she was practically jogging. There was nothing behind her when she checked but the feeling would not go away. Up ahead she saw the little children's park that was right next to her building. Ellie let out a sigh of relief knowing she was almost home.

As she hurried through the darkness in front of the park, Ellie felt her feet leave the ground as a big pair of arms reached around her. Before she could even scream, a large hand covered her entire face. She felt herself being pulled back into the park where she was tied up and gagged. Ellie could not fight off whoever had her. They were way too strong and from what she could tell, they were very big. Just before she was knocked unconscious, a hood was thrown over her head.

….

Thor and Loki trudged through the forest in search of the bilgeshnipe. They were usually easy to find, but today the two must have traveled further away from the palace than usual. Something kept nagging at the back of Loki's mind. It was as if something was not right, but he could not get a handle on it. Just when Loki was going to speak his mind, Thor heard the tell-tale signs of the beasts they were looking for. The look on Thor's face was almost childlike. Loki shoved the feeling out of his mind and followed Thor into the bushes. The herd was in a small clearing only a few hundred yards away. Thor and Loki circled the herd in opposite directions. To kill one of the bulls was a true test of manhood, so they had made a bet on who would make the first kill. Loki knew that Thor had strength on his side, but he was smaller and faster.

Loki gripped his club and spear in his hands while waiting for the opportune moment. The herd would protect each other and the young ones were the priority. The animals milled around eating and the young ones played while Thor and Loki waited. That unnerving feeling began to resurface in Loki's mind. The herd shifted and a large bull was left alone close to where Loki hid in the bushes. At the ready, Loki charged the animal and struck out with his club to cause the bull to turn. He lifted his spear in preparation to pierce the animal's heart, but the bull had other ideas. It quickly spun around and kicked with its massive hind legs, barely missing Loki's head.

Loki ducked and rolled out of the way, getting back on his feet a few yards away from the animal. Just as he was about to lunge at the animal again, it hit him. Fear. But it was not his own. It was Ellie's. He knew it deep down in his soul. The fear hit him so hard and fast that he dropped to his knees and clutched his chest. The bull turned on Loki and charged him fast. Loki could not get up to defend himself. But the bull never saw Thor flying in from the side. Thor brought his spear down hard into the bull's body hitting it directly in the heart. The animal fell inches away from Loki. He stared at it lying there heaving one last breath, the fear still gripping his heart. What was going on?

"Are you alright, brother?" Thor asked walking over to Loki and offering him a hand up.

"I do not know." Loki replied as he staggered to his feet trying to shake the awful feeling.

"What happened? You looked like you had the upper hand."

"I was ready to strike when I had the most intense feeling of fear. But it was not my own. I think it was Ellie." Loki said with his hand still clutched to his chest.

"How could you possibly feel that?" Thor asked confused.

"I do not know. But I feel something is wrong."

…..

Ellie lay in a corner with the hood over her head. She was still tied up, but had worked the gag out of her mouth. The floor was freezing and she began to shiver. People were talking in another room, but she could not hear what they were saying. Where was she? She was getting so cold and it was getting hard to breath with the hood on. Ellie just wanted to start crying, but she knew it would do her no good.

"Hey!" Ellie yelled out. "Hey!"

The voices stopped and then there was silence.

"Hey!" she yelled even louder.

Ellie heard footsteps from the other room. They entered her room but did not get any closer. Whoever they were, they were not going to start this conversation.

"I know you're there." She said.

Nothing.

"I don't know who you are or what you want from me, but I can't do anything about it unless you talk to me."

"It is not you we want," said a deep voice.

"Then who do you want?"

"Someone who does not know we are coming." Said another voice.

"What do you want from them?" Ellie asked trying to fish for information.

"No more questions!" the first voice boomed.

"Well can I at least get a blanket?" Ellie asked defiantly.

"Do not worry. You won't be cold for much longer."

…

"Father!" Loki yelled as he entered the throne room.

"What is it my son?" Odin said looking up at Loki's outburst.

"Something has happened to Ellie!" Loki could barely contain himself.

"Calm down, son." Odin said. "How do you know this?"

"I felt it, father."

Loki explained to Odin what happened to him while he was out hunting with Thor. How the intense sense of fear gripped his heart and he knew with all his being that it had to be Ellie.

"I have to go to her. I need to know she is alright."

Odin looked at his son with pride. He knew what risk Loki would be taking returning to earth after what he had done.

"I will go with you." Thor said putting his hand on Loki's shoulder.

Loki looked at Thor with surprise, because yet again his brother was willing to help him.

They immediately left the throne room to speak with Heimdall.

"I cannot find her." Heimdall said.

"Well, look again. She could not have just disappeared." Loki said forcefully.

"I am sorry Loki, but I have tried. I have not been able to locate her."

Loki hung his head. "Where could she have gone that Heimdall cannot find her?"

"Let us start by looking at her home," Thor suggested. "There may be a clue to where she has gone."

Loki knew Thor was right. He also knew that he had to disguise himself or he would not have a chance to even look for Ellie.

…..

Ellie had no idea how long she had been in this place, but if she stayed any longer she would not survive the freezing temperature. Just as she thought the end was near, Ellie was picked up off the freezing floor and thrown over someone's shoulder and carried to who knows where. After a few moments they stopped and she heard people talking and moving about around her. A lot of people. The next thing she knew she felt this strange pulling sensation and then she was thrown to the ground. The ground was soft and warm against her body. Ellie relished in the warmth that started to make her body tingle with renewed feeling.

It was quiet around her at first but then she heard more and more people. Where were all these people coming from? What the hell was going on?

…

When Loki and Thor returned to earth they immediately disguised themselves in human clothes. Loki did not want to be discovered. After all the unpleasantness, they could be easily recognized. Loki dressed himself in jeans, a leather jacket and baseball cap. Thor dressed himself in a similar way. Walking down the street to Ellie's apartment, they passed the park right next to her building. Loki immediately got the sense that this is where something happened. Loki hurried inside and up to her apartment. He tried the door, but it was locked. Using a bit of magic it quickly unlocked. Loki slowly opened the door and stepped inside. As he rounded the corner into the living room, something came down on the back of his head. He turned quickly and grabbed the object as Jane swung again.

"Jane! It is me, Loki!" He yelled as she struggled to pull it out of his hands.

"Oh my god! I'm sorry! I didn't know it was you." Jane stammered almost in tears.

Thor came around the corner at that moment and pulled Jane into his arms.

"I'm so sorry, Loki." She said again.

"No harm done, Jane. You could not hurt me with that stick." Loki said with a smirk.

Jane looked down at the baseball bat she held in her hand and made an uncomfortable laugh. Dropping it to the floor, she buried her face in Thor's chest. Thor hugged her close for a few moments.

Pulling away from Thor she really looked at them and asked, "What are you guys wearing?"

"Do we not blend in here now?" Thor asked.

Jane laughed and started to open her mouth to reply.

"Why are you here, Jane?" Loki interrupted getting impatient.

"I got a call that Ellie's purse was laying outside in the park this morning. When no one could get a hold of her they called me. At first I thought that maybe she was upset and had forgotten her purse outside, but when I got here, something seemed off. I only arrived a short time ago and I still haven't been able to get a hold of her." Jane explained. "Hold on, why are you guys here?"

Loki quickly explained to Jane what had happened. "Ellie is in danger Jane. I can feel it. I need to find her."

…..

Ellie coughed a deep, chest rattling cough. Even though she was now in a warmer place, she still shivered with cold. Her head ached horribly and every time they moved her she felt like screaming. Listening to the voices around her still gave no clue as to what was going on or why they had her. At this point, all she could think about was the cold chills running through her body.

"He is not here," said that awful deep voice that Ellie was starting to despise. "He has gone looking for her."

Ellie just barely heard that bit of conversation over everything else. He was looking for her? Could they be talking about Loki? Was this all about him? Oh, Loki! Just the thought of him warmed her inside. These men must be after him. No matter what he had done, Ellie was going to stand with the man she loved. Ellie didn't know what she could do. Tied up and sick, she was pretty useless. Somehow she would come up with something. But for right now she would rest and think of him. Picturing him in her mind kept her warm and gave her hope. He was looking for her. She knew it. Ellie could feel it deep down. She hoped he could find her considering she didn't even know where she was.

…

"I am going to help you find her!" Jane yelled at Thor. "Ellie is like family to me and I can't just sit here while you gods run around trying to find her."

"Jane this could be dangerous. We do not even know what happened." Thor said trying to reason with her.

"Well, I am from around here and you need me." Jane stated bluntly.

"She is right, brother." Loki put in.

Thor turned on Loki and was about to argue with him, but then stopped himself.

"Jane can help us Thor. The more help we have, the quicker we can find her."

"Alright," Thor conceded. "But you must stay close to me at all times."

"Don't worry, that won't be hard." Jane said putting her arm around Thor's waist.

Thor smiled down at Jane, pulling her closer. "Well, where do we begin?"

"Help me look through her apartment. I didn't notice anything out of order, but maybe you guys can see something I can't." Jane said as she started to look around.

Loki started in the living room area, but quickly moved to her bed. He thought of Ellie and her living in this one room dwelling. It was difficult to picture her in this little place. Walking over to her night stand he rubbed his hand along her bedspread. He pictured her in his mind sleeping in this bed. Sitting down on the edge of her bed, he grabbed her pillow and brought it up to his face. The smell of her overwhelmed him and flashes of the time they spent together played through his mind. Loki went to put her pillow back but noticed a book. Picking it up, he saw it was a journal. He debated whether or not he should open it. Something was sticking out of the end of the book and it caught his attention. Opening the book to that page he found a flower pressed in the pages. Loki immediately recognized it as one from the last night they spent together. Written on the page underneath was his name. Just his name, written in beautiful handwriting. Loki smiled to himself.

"There is nothing here to give us a clue." Thor said interrupting Loki's thoughts.

"Well, her purse was found outside in the park. Maybe we should look there." Jane said.

Loki took one last look at the page and slowly closed the book. He held it up to his chest, not wanting to leave the book behind, but he gently replaced the book under the pillow. The sparkle of something caught his attention. Picking it up, he looked at the thick chain dangling from his hand. Loki thought it looked familiar but could not place from where. It was a long chain with a large, purple stone pendant. He could practically feel her energy vibrating in the stone. Curious. Loki quickly slipped the chain over his head and tucked it under his shirt. The pendant rested right over his heart.

The three left the apartment and Jane locked the door behind her. They made their way downstairs and outside. Jane led them around the building. The park was full of children playing and their parents sitting on benches talking.

"They told me her purse was found right over here in the grass." Jane said walking over to an area of grass ten feet off the main sidewalk.

Loki and Thor looked the area over. They couldn't find any signs that indicated a struggle.

"Look around the park. If this is where she was taken they would have went back into the shadows to hide themselves." Thor said.

The three split up and started to search different sections of the park. Loki was starting to get frustrated when he heard Thor yell, "Over here!"

Loki and Jane ran over to see what he had found.

"Look," he said pointing into the sand around the swings.

"What is it?" Jane asked confused. "I don't see anything."

At first all Loki saw was children's footprints, but as he looked harder he could see the shape of a barefoot. A very large bare footprint.


	11. Chapter 11

**I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone that has read my story so far and is enjoying it as much as the person it was written for.**

**This whole venture started out as an attempt to see if I could actually write a story from beginning to end and make sense while doing it. FYI: I already finished writing this six months ago. I thought I would take characters, well established characters from the movies, and see if I could twist a tale around them.**

**It was never really meant to be shared, but my thirteen year old offspring thought she would surprise me that others would enjoy it just as much as my one fan. AKA: my editor/ best friend.**

**So, now that I have finally seen Thor: The Dark World, I was so happy to have some of my questions answered that I had made up answers to in this story.**

**So keeping that in mind, this story was all written pre-dark world, so enjoy my little spin off.**

**Oh, and keep the reviews coming. I really appreciate the feedback.**

….

Chapter Eleven

Ellie was thrown to the ground yet again. This was really starting to piss her off. These people were moving somewhere, but she still had the damn hood over her head. Many times she had tried to talk to her captor, but the most she got was him yelling at her to be quiet. So, she listened. Not much made sense to her, but she was starting to piece together their plan. She was amongst an army. They were moving in closer to their target and it seemed that the plan was for a small group to enter the palace and cause a distraction. Then the rest of the army would move in and destroy everything.

Ellie was still feeling extremely ill. The chills still had a hold of her and the ache in her head kept getting worse, but she held on. Sleep wanted to overtake her, but she wouldn't let it.

"It is time. We will move in. When you get the signal, you will follow with the rest of the army," said one voice.

"What about the woman?" asked another.

"I will take her with me. Once we are in the palace I will store her somewhere. When Loki returns to see his city destroyed, I will kill her right in front of him. Then, I will kill him," replied the first voice. "Our revenge will be complete."

So she was in Asgard. This army has come to destroy the city and all the people in it. They want to take revenge on Loki. Hell no! They were not going to harm the people she cared about. But what could she do? Whoever these people were, they were obviously more than human and she could not fight an army on her own.

Before Ellie could form any sort of plan, she was picked up yet again and they were on the move. Most likely they were headed into the city and straight to the palace.

Ellie could tell she was with a smaller group now. They moved quickly through trees and bushes. She could feel them slapping into her. Her mind raced as she tried to think of anything she could do to slow them down. Ellie took stock of her condition. The hood was still on her head, her hands were tied in front of her, but they had not bothered to tie her feet. That was it. She would kick herself out of her captor's arms, yank off the hood and run like hell. There was no way of knowing if she would make it very far, but she was sure as hell gonna try.

Waiting for a moment, she mustered her courage and brought her knee up with all her might. With pure luck, her knee had connected with her captor's face. He was stunned for a moment with surprise and his grip loosened. Ellie took advantage and threw herself out of his arms and to the ground. They had still been in motion, so when she fell he tripped over her and hit the ground hard. She felt the ground shake. Ellie yanked the hood off and was blinded by the bright light, but there was no time to waste. Jumping to her feet, she ran as fast as she could. Thankfully there wasn't anything in front of her. There was no way of knowing which way she was running, but she hoped it was towards the city.

The blinding light was slowly morphing into the greens and browns of her surroundings. She ducked and weaved around branches trying to put as much space between her and the men she could hear following her. The men were yelling back and forth at each other trying to figure out where she was. Ellie realized that she was not able to out run them. Her small burst of adrenaline was quickly wearing off. The shivers were starting to come back, along with the ache in her head. She could barely make out the outline of a huge tree ahead of her. Running right for it she hoped maybe there would be some brush around it that she could use for cover.

As Ellie flung herself behind the tree she noticed a split at the base. It wasn't very big, but she uprooted a small shrub nearby and backed her way into the hole pulling the shrub with her. The pounding footsteps got closer to her and the yelling was now starting to turn into arguments amongst the men trying to find her. Ellie held her breath as they came upon her hiding place. They never even stopped. The men moved quickly past her and kept going. When the sound of them finally disappeared, Ellie finally let out her breath. They didn't find her, was all she could think about. What was her next move? Before she could even come up with a plan, a wave of dizziness washed over her and Ellie passed out. The cold and the burst of adrenaline had wiped her out.

…..

Helbindi and his men ran trying to find the woman. He could not believe how she had taken him by surprise and got away. When he had righted himself after tripping over her, he saw her rip the hood off her head and run. How could she possibly see anything? She had been wearing the hood for so long, she had to be blind, but that tiny thing got up and ran with all she had. Getting to his feet, Helbindi felt catching her would be easy, but when the forest got thick, he lost sight of her. Being so tiny, the woman was able to duck underneath branches and move around the plant life quicker than he could. Finally he stopped. She was nowhere to be seen. How could he have lost her?

"What do we do now?" one of his men asked.

Helbindi wanted to roar at his men. "The plan stays the same. She does not mean a thing, just another knife in his heart before he dies. Let's move."

…

Ellie didn't know how long she slept. When she awoke, she felt slightly better. Laying there for a few moments, Ellie tried to gather her thoughts. She needed to move. Somehow she had to make her way to the palace and hopefully warn Odin. Climbing up out of her hiding spot, she looked around. All she saw was forest. There was no way to know which way she was going. The men had kept running in the direction she was facing. But was that just because she had been heading that way? Well it was the best option she had.

Ellie made her way slowly through the trees. She tried not to exert herself too much because her energy was limited. If she was going the wrong way she would need all the energy she had. Listening carefully to the sounds around her, she tried to avoid anything that could be the men looking for her. For all she knew, she could have slept for days in that tree and not known it. In that case, she would be too late.

It seemed like hours as she walked. Ahead she saw a large hill. Hopefully she could make it to the top and see the surrounding landscape. The climb to the top was torture. It was steep and her energy was running out fast. Stopping a few times to rest, Ellie finally made it to the top. She rested on her elbows and knees while laying her head in her hands. Waiting to catch her breath, she eventually rose to her feet. A wave of dizziness hit her hard and she fought to stay on her feet. When the feeling passed she opened her eyes and saw the most beautiful sight in the world. The city. The palace stood out as a beacon to her and she immediately started forward once again. Ellie needed to get there and hopefully stop the army from attacking.

The city was still at least a mile away and in Ellie's condition it would take her quite a while to make that distance. She ran, walked and crawled her way there. A few times she felt as if she would pass out, but she was going to get there if it killed her.

Ellie lost all track of time in her hurry. As she crawled her hands finally landed on smooth stones. She looked at the stones under her hands and slowly raised her head to see the stones were part of a path that led into the city. Ellie practically burst into tears. She couldn't believe that she finally made it.

"You there!" someone yelled.

"Help!" Ellie yelled out, but it only came out a whisper.

A shadow passed over her and she looked up into the face of an Asgardian guard.

"Danger," she whispered and passed out cold.

…..

"Frost giants!" Thor practically roared.

Loki stared in disbelief.

"Who?" Jane asked.

"My true family," Loki whispered.

"Never, brother! We are your true family!" Thor yelled at Loki.

People around started to stare in their direction and the children stopped playing to look.

"Mommy, look! Isn't that Thor?" said a child close by.

"We need to leave now," Jane said grabbing Thor's hand and pulling him out of the park.

Loki stood staring down at the footprint in the sand. Why would they come here and take Ellie?

"Brother! We must go!" Thor yelled at Loki.

Jane ran back to Loki, grabbed his arm and practically dragged him. After a moment he got his wits about him and moved under his own power. They got back out onto the sidewalk and quickly made their way back down the street.

"What do we do now?" Jane asked.

"We need to go to Jotunheim. They have taken my Ellie." Loki growled. His magic tingled in his fingers and slowly started to move up his arms.

Thor could see his brother was losing control, so he reached his hand out and placed it on Loki's shoulder. "Calm yourself, brother. We will go to Father. He will know what to do."

Loki wanted to yell in Thor's face that he was going straight to Jotunheim and would kill every last one of them with his bare hands.

"We have been in this position before Loki, but this time we will do it right. Think of Ellie. We do not want to put her in any more danger."

Loki's shoulders slumped. He knew Thor was right. They needed a plan and Father was the best option to help them.

"Let us hurry to the bifrost sight. Jane you will come with us. I do not want to take the chance that they are after you as well. You will not leave my sight." Thor said cupping Jane's face.

Loki's heart twisted. He should have never let Ellie leave.

They needed to use a conventional form of transportation to keep hidden. Jane haled a taxi and the three climbed in.

"Central Park please and hurry," Jane said and they were off.

Loki and Thor had never been in a taxi before and for once they actually feared for their safety. Both held onto the "Oh shit" handles while Jane leaned into Thor's side. The taxi hurried along but no matter how fast it went, it was not fast enough for Loki.

They finally reached Central Park and hurried to the bifrost sight.

"Heimdall! We are ready to return," Thor said.

Nothing.

"Heimdall can you hear us?" Thor tried again.

Still nothing. Thor and Loki looked at each other and knew this was not good.

….

Odin sat in his throne room. He sensed that something was not right. Unfortunately, he could not determine where the danger was coming from. Some force was blinding his sight, making it impossible to tell whether the threat was against Asgard or in another realm. Never before had Odin been blinded. Who was doing this and why?

…..

Jane sat on a nearby park bench as Thor paced and Loki leaned on a nearby railing with his head in his hands.

"What do we do now?" Jane asked.

"I do not know my love," Thor replied.

"Well, there has to be something we can do. Don't you guys have a back door?" Jane asked snidely.

Thor stopped his pacing and looked at Jane. "What did you say?"

"I just made a snide comment about a back door," she replied.

"Brother," Thor said walking over to Loki. "Loki?"

Loki shook himself out of his trance and looked up at Thor with a look of despair. When the bifrost would not open he began to lose hope.

"Jane just had a brilliant idea. There is a back way into Asgard."

Loki looked at his brother without understanding what he was saying.

"Brother, remember the day I was to be named Odin's successor?" Thor said gently.

Loki looked at him confused.

"Remember the Frost Giants entered the vault to steal the casket?"

A look of understanding passed over Loki's face.

"Yes. Yes! How could I have forgotten? But I would need to conjure dark magic to succeed." Loki said plainly. He looked down at his feet. Ellie had shown him that there was good in him. Could he manage the darkness that he needed?

"I know this is hard for you brother, but the dark magic will be used for good in this instance. Once we are home, Father will help us."

"I can do it," Loki said. "But we will need some place private. We do not want to draw attention to ourselves."

Jane walked over to the map and looked for the most remote part of the park she could find. "Here," she said. "There is a large group of trees on the other side of the park. Will that do?"

Loki stood behind her and said, "We will find out."

They started the long trek across the park. Loki and Thor hurried while Jane struggled to keep up. The sun was going down and the park was falling into darkness. Jane stumbled over some branches as they cut their way through the trees. Thor turned around and picked her up to carry her in his arms. The sky had gone completely dark when Loki finally stopped.

"I believe this will be as good as we get. Now stay close behind me and do not move. This may take some time, but be at the ready. When the portal opens, we will be pulled in quickly and it is a bit of a shock," Loki explained.

Thor and Jane moved behind Loki. Jane reached for Thor's hand and held on tight.

Loki ran his hands through his hair and took his stance. Even though he had done this before, he always hated how it made him feel. Resting his hands by his sides, he let the magic flow into his fingers. The heat slowly moved up his arms and into his chest. Loki pulled energy from way down deep inside and drew in the energy from around him. Slowly raising his arms from his sides, the energy started to spark off of his fingertips like electricity. Having the swirl of energy around him, he quietly chanted the dark words. The sparks of energy started to turn black and a dark mist started to form around them. Jane grabbed a hold of Thor's waist as Loki raised his arms above his head and looked up to the sky chanting louder and faster. The dark mist swirled faster and faster as they seemed to be held in a wind tunnel. Chanting one last line, Loki reached for the sky and yanked his arms back down to his sides, which drew down what looked like a black version of the bifrost.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey Everybody!**

**Thanks for being patient with the holidays and all. Finally got this chapter edited. Whew!**

**Enjoy and keep your reviews coming!**

Jane, Thor and Loki were yanked off of their feet and into the sky. The trip through this bifrost was so disorienting that when they landed hard on the other side, Jane immediately threw up. Even Thor and Loki were left feeling nauseous. When they finally oriented themselves and Jane was feeling better, they took in their surroundings. They had been deposited on the north side of the city near the Great Ocean.

"Hurry!" Loki yelled. "It will not take us long to reach the palace from here."

They made their way through the city getting stares from the people they passed. Thor helped Jane along and Loki could not wait any longer and he ran ahead, finally making it to the main gates of the palace.

"Halt!" A guard said stepping in front of him.

Loki stopped short before he ran the guard over. "I need to see my father. Let me pass!"

The guard looked at Loki in his strange clothes and brought his spear up to his chest. "Be on your way!"

"Odin is my father and I need to see him immediately!" Loki yelled.

"Move now or force me to remove you." The guard said calmly.

Loki's magic began to tingle in his fingers again. He could not believe this guard did not know who he was.

"It is alright Alrec. This is my brother Loki. Please let us into the palace." Thor said coming up behind Loki.

The guard looked surprised as he saw Thor and Jane come up behind Loki in human clothes. "I apologize, sire. I did not know your brother," the guard said and gave a bow while moving to the side.

Loki took off into the palace. He had to find his father quickly. As he ran to his father's throne room, all Loki could think about was where was Ellie and if she was alright. He hoped he was not too late to find her. Loki finally reached the throne room and ran in to find his father sitting with his head in his hands.

"Father!" Loki yelled. "The Frost Giants have taken my Ellie! We tried to get back through the bifrost but the way was closed."

"Guards! Send a patrol to Heimdall. Something is amiss." Odin ordered without a second thought. "Tell me everything, son."

…..

Anson could not believe that he had just seen a little girl crawl out of the forest. He barely heard her whisper that she needed help. Running up to her, he clearly heard her whisper the word danger before she passed out. Bending down, he wiped the dirt from her face and checked to see if she was still alive. Her pulse raced and he noticed how hot to the touch she was.

As he wiped the dirt from her cheek, her eyes fluttered and she whispered, "Loki…..Odin…danger," and then passed out again.

It was then that he realized this wasn't a little girl. This was the young woman that Thor brought back from earth. The young woman, that he and his fellow guards would take Loki to when he was under constant supervision. Anson sensed something was wrong and knew he had to take her to Odin.

…

"I do not know where she is! I have to find her! If something has happened to her I will….." Loki was losing control. He roared his frustration and a burst of energy flew from his fingers and hit the wall leaving a large scorch mark that spider webbed across the wall. Loki looked down at his hand in surprise. Never before had that happened. Under normal circumstances he needed an enchantment or his spear to create something so large.

Odin walked up to Loki. "Your magic is stronger."

"I do not know how that happened," Loki said confused.

"There is a lot happening that I do not understand," Odin said moving back to his throne.

"What is going on father?" Thor asked.

"Somehow my sight is being blinded. I sense something is going on but I cannot tell where or when. Someone has learned of a way to weaken us," Odin said.

"What do we do?" Loki asked.

"I do not know, my son. I do not know."

…

Anson cradled Ellie's limp body in his arms as he hurried to the palace. Many questions raced through his mind as he moved. He knew she had left to go back to Earth, but wondered how she had managed to get back. Ellie had literally crawled out of the forest covered from head to toe in mud and leaves. She warned him of danger, but who could be the threat?

They finally made it to the side entrance of the palace. It would lead them in under the ground and past the many vaults of treasures. Adjusting Ellie in his arms, Anson held his staff up against the plate next to the door. The big heavy door slowly opened and Anson rushed inside. As he moved down the hallway the door slammed shut behind him momentarily leaving him in pitch black. The large booming sound caused Ellie to jump in his arms and she began to struggle.

"Let me go!" she screamed. "I will not let you hurt my family!"

"Quiet, Ellie. It is alright. You are safe now," Anson said trying to calm her.

Ellie squinted in the darkness to see where she was and who she was with. As the torches finally bathed the area in light, she saw she was in a long hallway. The décor was that of the Asgardian palace. She felt relief that she had made it. Her memory came back to her as she looked up into the face of the man that had placed her on the floor and now knelt next to her.

"I remember you. Your name is Anson, right?"

"Yes, my lady. I found you outside crawling out of the forest," he replied.

Ellie looked down at herself and realized she was covered in mud and who knew what else from her long journey.

"We need to hurry! The Frost Giants are coming!" Ellie exclaimed trying to get to her feet.

"How do you know this?" Anson asked trying to settle her. "There is no way for them to get into this realm."

"They managed to kidnap me from Earth and we somehow got here. I don't know how they are doing it, but they are here. I managed to get away and make my way here. There is a small group that is coming to the palace to distract Odin from the army that is hiding back in the forest." Ellie managed to get out feeling breathless.

Anson looked at Ellie for a moment. He was confused at how all this could be taking place and Odin could not see it. "Odin would see all this, if it was true."

"I swear, it is all true. I don't understand what is going on but I know what their plan is. I need to get to Odin. I have to tell him what is going on!" Ellie practically burst.

Anson did not want to believe her at first. There was no way this could be happening. An army in the forest? Then he thought back to when Ellie was here getting well. She was one of the most kindhearted people he had ever met. Ellie always made sure to acknowledge everyone by just saying hello or to thank them. She had to be telling the truth.

"We must hurry then," Anson said standing and extending his hand for Ellie.

She placed her hand in his and said, "Lead the way."

They moved their way through a maze of hallways working their way upwards. Ellie could feel her energy draining, but she would not give up now that she was so close. That's when they both heard the loud booming voices of the Frost Giants. They were coming from around the next corner. Anson held up his hand and motioned for her to stay put. He quietly moved to the corner and peered around to see what was going on.

"Oh no," he whispered as Ellie silently slid up behind him.

"What is going on?" she whispered.

"They are trying to break into the casket vault."

"What is that?"

"It holds all the most powerful artifacts. They must not get their hands on any of them." Anson said.

"What do we do?" Ellie asked.

"We do not have time to go for help. I will have to do something," he said lowering his head in thought.

"We will have to do something." She amended.

"Pardon me my lady, you are but a human. I would be put to death on the spot if something were to happen to you and I could have prevented it," Anson responded shaking his head.

"Well, then I will have to take very good care of myself. But there is no way in hell I'm letting you do this on your own," Ellie stated, putting her hands on her hips.

…..

Loki sat in the throne room with Odin and Thor, trying to figure out what was going on. They were waiting to hear back from Heimdall. They were all at a loss. Not one of them, even Odin, could think of a reason for this blindness.

Frigga entered the room and saw the scorch mark on the wall. "What has happened here?" she exclaimed looking everyone over for signs of injury.

"It seems that our son's powers have been enhanced somehow," Odin replied.

Walking over to Loki, Frigga hugged him.

"I am alright, Mother. The Frost Giants have taken Ellie and I lost control of myself. I am sorry for ruining the wall."

"Oh my! What are you going to do?" Frigga asked sounding thoroughly upset. "Are you going to Jotunheim to get her back?"

"There is more to this story, my dear," Odin said and explained to her what else was going on.

"This has to all be connected somehow. Ellie's disappearance and someone blinding us like this so you cannot see," Frigga said.

"Sire, I have news from Heimdall," said a guard as he entered the throne room.

"What is it? Speak quickly!" Loki practically yelled.

"Heimdall says he cannot see anything out of place, yet he can feel something is not right. Like you, he cannot tell when or where," the guard said. "He is standing at his post and will keep searching for any sign of anything amiss."

"Thank you. You may leave us," Odin commanded.

After the guard left, Odin fell into his chair. Frigga went to stand next to him and put her hand on his arm. "Whoever is doing this has learned well how to hide themselves in shadow," Odin said.

Hanging his head, Loki said, "It is almost as if they have learned what I once did."

…..

"You have no idea what we are up against," Anson said irritated. "These beings are even larger than I am. To you, they would truly be giants."

Ellie slipped around Anson to peek around the corner. What she saw in the hallway took her breath away. They were huge. There were six of them outside the door to the vault trying to figure out a way in. Ellie almost lost her nerve but quickly remembered these were the ones that took her from her home and were threatening the lives of her loved ones.

"I am smaller and faster," she said when she turned back to Anson.

"But you are ill," he said flatly.

"I know I'm not in my best shape right now, but I have to do something."

Right then they heard the door to the vault open.

"Now or never," she whispered.

They both took off down the hallway. Two guards were lying at the door and Ellie quickly grabbed one of their spears. She had no idea how to use it, but she would do whatever she could. Peeking around the door frame she saw the Frost Giants making their way down the stairs towards the treasures. Ellie quickly glanced around familiarizing herself with the surroundings and turned to Anson.

"All we can do is try," Ellie said.

"I am right behind you, my lady," was his reply.

Ellie ran through the doorway and headed down the stairs. She could hear Anson right on her heals. The Frost Giants were heading to the end of the vault to something that glowed blue. She reached them before they were halfway there and screamed as she lunged with her spear at the first one. It turned around and her spear pierced it right in the heart. It immediately fell pulling the spear out of her hands. She was left with nothing to defend herself with, but Anson was right behind her stabbing the next closest giant. That one fell as well and they were left with four more. Anson pulled out his sword and went after the next one. Ellie looked around for something to use but there were no other weapons. She grabbed a hold of the spear sticking out of the giant yanking with all her might, but she could not pull it free. Ellie wondered how she had enough strength to stab him in the first place.

Anson attacked the next giant, but this time he did not have the element of surprise. This one fought back and two more came at him as the fourth one ran for the glowing blue object. One got past him and ran straight for Ellie. She saw it coming and ended up backing herself into a small alcove that she did not realize was behind her. The giant slowed his progress and seemed to stalk her into the small area. Glancing behind her she saw something that glowed a warm purple. She had never seen it before, but it somehow felt familiar.

Behind the giant she could see that Anson was holding his own with the other two giants. However, one managed to move around behind him. While he swung at one, the other smashed him from behind and sent his body flying against the wall. He fell into a heap on the floor. They watched to make sure he did not get up and then followed the one that went after the glowing blue box. Ellie was left to face them on her own. He came at her and she tried to duck under his arm and move past him, but she swung around so fast that she was thrown back into the glowing purple orb.

Ellie felt an electrical rush when her body came into contact with the object. Never in her life had she felt anything like it. It didn't hurt, yet it wasn't a pleasant feeling either. The giant stepped up to her and reached his hand down to grab her. Ellie threw her hands up to protect herself and when her hands came into contact with the giant he was thrown back as if he was electrocuted. He fell to the ground and did not get up. Ellie raised herself to her feet and stared at her hands. This was unexpected and hopefully it would last a little bit longer.

Stepping out of the alcove, Ellie faced the Frost Giants. The one picked up the box and turned to her. She had no idea what to do at this point.

"So there seems to be more to you than we thought," the leader said.

He raised the box and the next thing she knew there was a stream of power coming straight for her. Ellie shut her eyes and held up her hands. She waited for the pain to start, but nothing happened. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw there was some kind of purple force field holding back whatever was coming at her. It was coming from her.

The Frost Giants roared in frustration. The leader lowered the box.

"Interesting," was all that he said. Glancing up to the doors, he saw they were no longer alone. Using the power from the casket, the giants disappeared.

Ellie lowered her arms and stared at her hands. What the hell just happened? The energy in her body slowly dissipated. She turned towards the door of the vault, and all she could see were silhouettes as she fainted.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Loki was going over all that had happened since Ellie disappeared trying to figure out why she was taken and where the Frost Giants could have taken her. How could they have accomplished all of this without being seen? Then he thought about how he had been able to move around without being seen by using the dark magic. This scared Loki now that he realized someone else had learned the things that he could do. But who was it?

"Father, we need to do something. Let me go to Jotunheim to look for Ellie. I have to go now or it may be too late. Ellie could never survive there. I highly doubt that she is dressed properly for the conditions and they would not treat her with dignity. This is all about me. I know it."

"No, Loki. We must take into consideration all of our options. They may be waiting there for you to come to her," Odin replied.

"Then let me gather a small army so I will be prepared for an attack."

"I will go with him, Father. We need to do something," Thor said.

Odin looked at his sons. He was so proud of the men that they had become. "We will…"

But Odin did not finish his sentence. They all suddenly felt a huge surge of energy. The whole room pulsated with the thrum of power. They all looked at one another.

"It was not me," Loki threw up his hands and looked at his family.

Odin closed his eyes. "It is coming from below us. In the vaults."

Loki and Thor ran out of the throne room and headed straight to the stairs leading to the vaults below. Loki took the stairs four at a time with Thor right on his heels. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as they made their way through the maze of hallways. Coming around a corner they saw the guards lying on the floor outside of the vault where the caskets were kept.

The brothers ran down the hall toward the door. Loki saw the blue of the Jotunheim's casket as it was being fired, but then a purple glow overpowered it. As he finally reached the doorway he saw the Frost Giant firing the casket at someone who stood in a globe of purple energy. Before Loki could raise his hands to do anything, the Frost Giant stopped.

"Interesting," the giant said and then raised his eyes to Loki and Thor. Loki took a step forward, but the leader vanished with the other giants.

Thor stood next to Loki and they watched as the purple glow vanished from around the conjuror. The being was small and covered in dirt. Who were they? They wavered on their feet as they looked at their hands and then slowly turned around. As their face turned up to the door, Loki's heart stopped. It was Ellie. Then he watched as her body sank to the floor.

Flying down the stairs, Loki threw himself to the floor next to Ellie. Gathering her in his arms he checked for a pulse. Ellie was burning up, but she was alive. Loki stroked her cheek and gently murmured her name, lost for a moment that she was even there.

"Thor!" Loki yelled, coming back to his senses. "She's alive! Go get help! Please!"

Thor ran out as Loki cradled Ellie to his chest. She was here. He could not believe she was here with him. Looking her over for injuries, he noticed she was covered in dry mud and leaves were stuck in her hair. Ellie was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Other than being ill, she seemed to be unharmed. Loki felt so relieved that he leaned down and rested his forehead against hers.

"Oh Ellie, how I missed you," he whispered.

Loki was surprised to hear a faint, "I missed you too," as Ellie's hand lightly brushed his cheek.

"I cannot believe you are here. I was trying to find you but I did not know where to look," Loki said cupping her face.

"Well you found me," Ellie replied. "Now kiss me."

Loki did not even hesitate. He kissed her like he would never stop. They just remained in each other's arms until everyone flooded into the vault.

The healers ran to Ellie and pushed Loki out of the way. Loki's body stiffened to object, but they began to check her over for injuries.

"I'm okay," Ellie grumbled. "You need to find Anson. He's hurt!"

"Over here!" Thor yelled.

One healer stayed with Ellie while the others went to check on Anson. He pulled out a small stone and held it to her forehead. Ellie could feel the warmth of the stone seep into her and the aches in her body and the headache slowly melted away. Now that she was healed, her mind brought her back to the reason she fought her way here in the first place.

"Where is your father? I need to tell him there is an army in the forest. Loki, there is an army of Giants in the forest!" Ellie blurted out.

"What?" Loki asked confused.

"The Frost Giants have an army waiting in the forest. I heard them say that the small group was a distraction until they gave a signal for the army."

"We have to get to my father." Loki gathered Ellie in his arms and made his way out of the vault. "Thor! We have a problem!"

Ellie wrapped her arms around Loki's shoulders and buried her face in his neck. She inhaled deeply and let his smell overtake her senses. There was danger lurking and she could not think of anything, other than the two of them at this moment. Ellie held onto it knowing it wouldn't last long.

Loki could not believe Ellie was here. Ellie had been gone for less than a month, but it felt like forever. Now she was in his arms with her face pressed to his neck. She was as light as a feather, but the tickle of her breath made it all real.

Thor followed close behind as they made their way to Odin. He did not speak a word letting Ellie and Loki have their moment. Knowing as soon as they reached his father, he would get the whole story.

Odin sat on his throne waiting for Loki and Thor to come back and report on what happened in the vault. He knew that his sons could work together and take care of whatever problem arose. What Odin did not count on was Thor and Loki walking back into the room with a child covered in mud. Frigga and Jane sat on the side and stood as soon as the men entered the room.

"Oh my god, Ellie!" Jane exclaimed running over to Loki.

Loki set Ellie down and she threw herself into Jane's arms.

"Are you alright?" Jane asked looking Ellie over from head to toe.

"I'm better now," Ellie replied. "They had to use a healing stone on me."

"What happened? How did you get here?" Jane continued asking, confused.

"Father," Loki said interrupting. "Ellie needs to speak with you."

Ellie let go of Jane and walked over to Odin. "Sire, there is an army of Frost Giants in the forest."

"What? How can that be?" Frigga said taken aback.

Everyone stared at Ellie in disbelief.

Thor turned to a guard and said, "Send some scouts into the forest and tell the men to prepare themselves."

"You have to talk to Anson. He'll tell you what direction I came from. He saw me come out of the woods," Ellie said.

"What happened to you, my dear?" Frigga asked, stepping up to her and pulling leaves out of her hair.

"I was taken from outside my apartment building late at night. I don't even know how long ago it was." Loki moved to Ellie's side and grabbed her hands. "They tied my hands and kept a hood over my head, so I'm not sure where they took me. The first place was so cold." Ellie wrapped her arms around Loki's waist. "I nearly froze to death, but then I was taken somewhere warm. That must be when we came here. A small group separated, taking me with, and headed to the palace while the remainder of the army waited in the forest. I don't know how many there are. There were so many voices, but I never saw a thing. The only part of the plan that I heard was that the small group was to enter the palace and when they were ready the army would receive a signal."

"Why are they doing this?" Jane said to no one in particular.

Ellie looked up at Loki and said, "They are taking revenge."

At that moment, Anson limped his way into the throne room. Ellie ran to him and threw her arms around him in a huge hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Ellie exclaimed. She stepped back, but held onto Anson's hands.

"I am alright, thanks to you, my lady," he replied giving her hands a gentle squeeze.

Loki walked over to Ellie and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Tell us what happened in the vault. And please tell me, my love, why you are covered in mud," Loki said.

Ellie told her story of how she took the Giant by surprise in the forest and managed to escape by hiding in the tree. Then, how she made her way to the palace by pure luck.

"That is when I saw her crawl out of the forest and collapse on the eastern entrance to the city," Anson said. "I did not know what to make of her at first. Ellie whispered for help and managed to say danger before she passed out. I recognized her and immediately brought her to the palace. When we entered, she awoke and explained to me what was taking place around us. I meant to bring her directly to you, Sire, but we came upon the Frost Giants breaking into the casket vault. There was no time to warn anyone and Ellie refused to stay behind."

"He couldn't take them on alone." Ellie admonished, shaking her head. "I was the only one who could help him."

Anson smiled at Ellie. "For one so small, she put up an amazing fight. Ellie picked up a spear from one of the fallen guards and killed the first giant. This took them by surprise which allowed me to kill another one. However, then we were fighting for our lives."

"I think we did pretty well," Ellie stated.

"I saw you being backed into a corner while I was fighting off two. The fourth was going after the casket. I was overpowered and from then on, I saw nothing but flashes of color," Anson finished.

"I honestly don't really understand what happened after that. He backed me into one of the alcoves and when he came at me, I ducked, but his arm came around and pushed me into the glowing purple box. When he reached down for me and I put my arms up to protect myself, I electrocuted him somehow. Then when the other guy used a glowing blue box on me, I just put my arms up and a purple barrier went around me. I have absolutely no idea what I did, or if it was even me."

Loki looked at Ellie. She had touched one of the caskets and was then able to use magic. How was that even possible?

"The Frost Giants have taken their casket. They now have their power back," Thor said angrily.

Odin sat on his throne and listened to everything Ellie had to say. He was beginning to understand what was happening. "Prepare the men for battle. My sons, escort your women to their chambers and prepare yourselves. We are going into battle."

Thor and Jane left with their arms wrapped around one another. Loki took hold of Ellie's hand and began to pull her towards the door.

"I can help," Ellie said. "I don't understand what happened to me down there, but I was able to stop them. Maybe I can do it again."

"No! Absolutely not!" Loki exclaimed. "You are going to stay here with my mother and Jane."

Ellie turned to Loki to press her argument, but Odin stepped in.

"I know you are brave Ellie, but this battle is for men of Asgard. We do not yet understand what has happened to you in the vault, and the power may only be temporary. If it is not, I would like you to stay here and protect Frigga and Jane if they are to get past us."

Ellie reluctantly nodded. She could not argue with the king when he asked her to protect his wife.

"Come Ellie," Loki said pulling gently on her hand.

They walked hand in hand out of the throne room. Loki led her upstairs to his chambers. She realized that she had never been to his room before. He pulled her directly into the washroom leaving her no time to look his room over. With a wave of his hand, Loki filled the tub with warm water. Ellie's eye shot up at him with surprise. Loki just smirked and went to grab some soap. Ellie unlaced her boots and slid them off of her feet and sighed with relief.

"Just getting those things off feels **so** good," Ellie moaned laying her head back.

Loki walked up to her and unzipped her hoodie. Ellie raised her head to look up at him.

"Let's get you cleaned up," Loki said pushing the sweatshirt off her shoulders.

Ellie peeled the rest of her clothes off and sank into the tub of amazingly warm water. Never before in her life could she remember water feeling so good. She dipped her head below the water to try and rinse the dirt out of her hair. When she resurfaced Loki sat on the edge of the tub behind her and began to wash her hair. He massaged the soap into her scalp and Ellie closed her eyes to relish the moment. When her hair was thoroughly lathered she dunked her head again to rinse.

"I must go prepare," Loki said and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her lips. He pulled back and their eyes locked. Loki began to lean in once again. Hesitating, he groaned and moved out of the room.

Ellie was left to finish her bath and she hurried through washing off the rest of the dirt. When she was finally clean, she got out of the tub and dried herself off. Loki's robe hung on the wall so she grabbed it and threw it on. After rolling up the sleeves, she tied the rope around her waist and walked out into his room with the robe trailing behind her.

Loki looked up from pulling off his boots. Smiling, he stood and walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her burying his face in her hair. "You smell wonderful."

"I smell like you," Ellie said with a smile.

Loki looked deep into Ellie's eyes. All he wanted to do was strip his robe off of her knowing she was wearing nothing underneath. He wanted to make love to her one more time, not knowing if they would ever have the chance again.

Using all of his dwindling will power, he released her and said, "I must get ready."

Ellie sat down on his bed while Loki walked over to a closet and started to pull out clothes and lay them on his bed.

"You look really nice in jeans and a leather coat," Ellie commented.

Smiling, he said, "Thank you."

Loki unzipped the coat and threw it on the bed. Ellie couldn't help herself and laughed out loud.

"What is so funny?"

"Your shirt," Ellie snickered.

Loki looked down at his t-shirt and laughed himself. "I thought if I wore an I Love New York shirt, people would be less suspicious if they thought that they recognized me."

Ellie just shook her head with a smile and Loki continued to get ready. He stripped off his jeans and pulled on a pair of leather pants, then sat on the edge of the bed to strap on his leather boots. When he sat up, Ellie sat watching him with her head tilted to the side.

"Is there something wrong, my love?"

"I'm just realizing that I am watching the man I love prepare to go into battle," she said with a hitch in her voice.

"All will be well, my love. Have faith," he said cupping her cheek and looking into her eyes.

Loki stood and pulled off his t-shirt. Ellie's eyes were drawn to the chain around his neck.

"Where did you get that?!" she exclaimed as she flew off the bed to grab the pendant.

"When Thor and I went to earth to find you, we went to your apartment. I found this lying on your bed and I needed something of yours to keep close to me. I did not know if I would ever see you again. I am sorry for taking it."

"Don't be sorry. I'm glad you have it. My mother gave it to me after she got sick," Ellie murmured as her finger traced the stone. "I was given strict instructions to never lose it or sell it. I don't know why she would ever say that because it's beautiful and it always reminds me of her." Ellie finished, looking a little sad.

"Here," Loki said taking the necklace off.

"No," Ellie said pushing it back over his head. "I want you to keep it. Have a little piece of me when you go out there."

"I love you, Ellie," Loki said as his hand brushed across her cheek.

"And I love you," she replied as she leaned into his caress.

Ellie finished watching Loki change. He wore his usual leather and metal. But this time he wore a shorter coat and a large metal plate across his torso. Putting his foot up on the side of the bed he strapped metal plates to his shins and then some to his forearms. Loki stood up straight and looked down at her watching him.

"My warrior," Ellie said standing up and brushing her hand across the details of his chest plate. "You look fierce."


End file.
